Dear Annie
by JanuaryEclipses
Summary: SasuSaku. Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!
1. Prince Charming

**Author's Notes: **Hello, everyone! Working on my third story here, not counting the one-shot. Anyway, I was reading Teen Idol by Meg Cabot and this idea just came up to me. I decided it wouldn't work for any other genre other than Naruto, of course! So here I am!

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13, I don't like the new rating system, who goes by "T" anyway? Gaming fans that's who)

Summary: (SasuSaku) Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno, and every other girl trying to be with Sasuke but failing miserably.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Teen Idol.

Chapter 1: Prince Charming

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Dear Annie,

I just went through a breakup with my long-term boyfriend. I felt like I did the right thing, but after a few days I saw him with another girl. I can't even begin to tell you how jealous I was. Should I ask for his forgiveness and take him back?

Torn Apart

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Dear Torn,

If you broke up with him, it was probably for a good reason, right? By taking him back, you will go against your own beliefs and be miserable. You should probably move on and find someone who doesn't have the quality that your ex had. Therefore, you won't be miserable, and you won't have to go crawling back begging forgiveness. No girl should have to do that. If it's him that's at fault, he should be begging you!

Your Friend,

Annie

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Uchiha Sasuke wasn't the king of anything, really. Sure, he was great at sports, popular with the ladies—a few of the men—and his grades were up to par with a Harvard graduate, but he still wasn't a king.

He was a Prince.

Over the years, "king" had lost its power. The word no longer inspired awe or fear into anybody. Prince, however, did. In fact, even the teachers had to squelch down the "Uchiha-sama" in class. He was just that powerful.

Which is why I hated his guts.

I mean, _really_! He acted like he owned everything and everyone! He could snap his fingers and women would come do him, drooling like _dogs_, and ask to do his bidding. They'd probably get hit by a semi if he asked it of them. The man looked down his nose at everyone who wasn't worthy of his attentions.

Which was pretty much everybody.

Except, that is, for a select three. The term "friends" didn't suit them at all. Royalty didn't have friends…they had lackeys.

Hyuuga Neji: Stuck up, white-eyed, conceited demon. It was a rarity for him to show any emotion whatsoever. One glare and grown men scampered off wetting themselves. He had an intimidating presence, even to the strongest of people. And the worst part was that if he looked at you, you could never tell what was going on behind those eyes of his. It was pretty darn creepy.

Nara Shikamaru: Personally, I don't know how he ever got to be in this group. He never puts any effort into anything. It really makes me wonder how he even got to be a junior in high school. It couldn't be because of his grades, that's for darn sure. He slept most of the time in class. One teacher back in freshman year dared to give him a detention for doing so. That teacher was never seen here again. By the time we came back the next day, all his stuff was cleared out of his room and we had a replacement teacher already in his place.

And Uzumaki Naruto: I will eat my socks if I knew how Naruto of all people came to be "friends" with Sasuke. The guy is literally an annoying, walking time-bomb. You say one thing and he'll annoy you for hours on end. Otherwise, I really don't know much about him. In fact, he could be likeable if he didn't hang out with _them_. Besides, he's got the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen on a guy.

Oops, I suppose I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Haruno Sakura. You might have seen me before, I'm the one with the pink hair and green eyes. Yeah, I've got good grades, matched only by the "Prince" himself, but I, thankfully, am nothing like them. I'm sort of a wallflower, no one really notices me except to tease me, and boys kinda shy away from me as if I've got this contagious skin disease. I don't know why though, I'm not really terrible looking. Also, I'm on the Konoha High School paper. I don't really do anything important, I just write the "Dear Annie" column. It's nothing special, but I'd like to think it keeps me sane.

Next is Ino Yamanaka: Ino and I have known each other since we were very little. Some people were teasing me about my forehead, and she stood up for me. I practically didn't have any courage until Ino came along. She gave me a ribbon to hold my hair back, which was later replaced by the forehead protector they require us to wear at school. We grew our hair really long together. Of course, that was until I got in a car accident and most of it was cut off by a piece of glass. All I remember is that when I came to in Konoha Hospital, into had her hair cut short too. I couldn't tell you how happy I was that I actually had a friend that was so dedicated to me.

Tenten: Tenten is so cool! She never really knew her parents, so her last name is the same as her first name, which always inspires some awkward situations. Still, she can tell you almost anything about any kind of weapon. When it was first made, purpose, and how to wield. This is how she got the nickname "weapon's mistress." She met me and Ino in first grade, when we noticed that she was kind of detached from everyone else. We went over and talked to her and the three of us have been friends ever since. Now, she lives in an apartment and a representative from her orphanage comes to check on her once a month until she turns into a named adult at eighteen, which, thankfully, is next year.

Hyuuga Hinata: It seems almost impossible that she and Neji are even related. They're cousins. Sure they've got the same white eyes and dark hair, but their personalities are polar opposites. Hinata is a shy, caring person and Neji is everything she isn't. Don't tell anyone, but Neji has a protective streak for his cousin. It's cute, in a brotherly sort of way. The three of us met her in the third grade, and we don't know how we ever went without her. It was a while back when we rounded the corner and Hinata got over her stuttering problem. We didn't really mind it, of course, but now we don't have to glare at anyone who tries to make fun of her for it. Also, she's got this crush on Naruto. Why? We have absolutely no clue. But if it's what Hinata wants, we'll back her every step of the way.

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**Private Chat Room 39**

_WeaponsMistress has signed on._

_CherryBlossoms has signed on._

_PrincessIno12 has signed on._

_LadyHyuuga06 has signed on._

**PrincessIno12: **I hate them.

**WeaponsMistress: **We all do. Join the club.

**LadyHyuuga06:** They aren't really THAT bad, are they?

**CherryBlossoms:** You're lucky, Hinata, you've got Neji on your side.

**WeaponsMistress:** Yeah, the rest of us aren't that lucky.

**PrincessIno12:** Yesterday I found a toy rat in my locker.

**WeaponsMistress:** Bubblegum in my HAIR! I'm going to be washing out Neji's saliva for weeks.

**WeaponsMistress:** I might have to burn my hair off.

**LadyHyuuga06:** It's a good thing Ino's so good with hair, huh?

**WeaponsMistress:** Got that right.

**CherryBlossoms:**…

**CherryBlossoms:** I don't even want to TALK about it.

**PrincessIno12:** Oh come on, it _was_ kind of funny.

**CherryBlossoms:** So was your face when you saw that rat. Luckily for me I had my camera phone with me and got a shot of it. I can have it in the paper by tomorrow morning, you know.

**WeaponsMistress:** At least everyone will know where the scream came from.

**PrincessIno12:** Point taken. I'll shut up.

**LadyHyuuga06:** What happened, Sakura?

**CherryBlossoms:** Prince Idiot-sama put a bucket of water in my locker so when I opened the door, splash! All over my favorite shirt too. I had to get another shirt from the clinic. All that was left in my locker was a little sticky note with a crown on it.

**CherryBlossoms:** All my textbooks are ruined, I don't know how I'm gonna replace them.

**LadyHyuuga06:** Oh…

**CherryBlossoms:** What I want to know is how he got my locker combination.

**WeaponsMistress:** He probably threatened someone to find out.

**PrincessIno12:** Fear me! For I am Prince Idiot-sama and you should all bow down and kiss my feet!

**WeaponsMistress:** LOL!

**CherryBlossoms:** You know what we should do? We should have a sleepover Saturday night!

**PrincessIno12:** Fun! Whose house?

**WeaponsMistress:** Not mine, you guys know the drill.

**CherryBlossoms:** Mine's open, my parents are on a work trip.

**LadyHyuuga06:** Ok. What time?

**WeaponsMistress:** 8?

**PrincessIno12:** Better make it 7. We need mall time.

**ILoveRamen10:** All right! Party at Sakura's!

**CherryBlossoms:** Uzumaki? Where did you come from?

**ILoveRamen10:** We've been hidden the whole time.

_WeaponsMistress has signed off._

_CherryBlossoms has signed off._

_PrincessIno12 has signed off._

_LadyHyuuga06 has signed off._

**ILoveRamen10:** Hey! Not cool!

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**Private Chat Room 04**

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed on._

_PrinceofDarkness has signed on._

_Troublesome99 has signed on._

_ILoveRamen10 has signed on._

**PrinceofDarkness:** I hate them.

**ILoveRamen10:** Woah, Déjà vu!

**PrinceofDarkness:** We should make their lives a living hell.

**Troublesome99:** Whatever you say, Prince Idiot-sama.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Shut up.

**ByakyganHyuuga03:** I want to ask you, just what is so bad about my saliva?

**ILoveRamen10:** The fact that it came from YOU, of all people.

**ByakyganHyuuga03:** Shut up.

**PrinceofDarkness: **But I do like the whole "bow down and kiss my feet" suggestion.

**ILoveRamen10:** That's disturbing.

**Troublesome99:** I just realized, how come no one plays pranks on Hinata?

**Troublesome99:** Neji, I can feel the Byakugan from here, please stop.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** …fine.

**PrinceofDarkness:** We should crash their party.

**ILoveRamen10:** Aw, but Sakura-chan is so nice!

**ILoveRamen10:** Sasuke-teme, I can feel the Sharingan from here, please stop.

**PrinceofDarkness:** …fine.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** I'm in.

**ILoveRamen10:** Fine, but I won't like it.

**PrinceofDarkness**: …Shikamaru?

**Troublesome99:** Too troublesome.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Good, you're in too. Meet me Saturday at my house at 6. We need to plan.

_PrinceofDarkness has signed off._

_Troublesome99 has signed off._

**ILoveRamen10:** You know, every Prince needs a Princess…

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** It's a hopeless cause trying to get him with a girl. Get over it.

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed off._

**ILoveRamen10:** …

**ILoveRamen10:** Not AGAIN!

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To: **CherryBlossoms**

This invitation is from **PrinceofDarkness**, do you accept?

Default Message: _'Join me in this chat!'_

**CherryBlossoms** declined invitation.

Sasuke frowned. Stupid girl. He'd bet she was the one who came up with the "Prince Idiot-sama" nonsense.

To: **CherryBlossoms**

This invitation is from **PrinceofDarkness**, do you accept?

Message: _'Join me in this chat, or else.'_

**CherryBlossoms** accepts invitation.

**CherryBlossoms:** Bite me.

_CherryBlossoms has signed off at 10:31 pm._

That's it! Naruto's precious _Sakura-chan_ was going DOWN!

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I opened my locker slightly from the side today, just so he couldn't trick me again. Nothing happened. After breathing a slight sigh of relief that I didn't have to wear the clinic's Goodwill clothes, I felt a lot better. What was inside my locker made me feel a whole lot better than _that_ even. My textbooks were replaced. I mean, it's not like I was poor or anything, it's just that textbooks take like fifty bucks each to replace. Which is so ridiculous because the school pays no more than twenty for them. But…_who?_

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Pink."

It was stupid to be so wrapped up in something that I didn't even notice him sneak up on me until his hands were trapping me between him and the lockers. I normally had such a good sense of what was around me. I couldn't turn around, if I did, he'd touch me. Shudder to that. So I calmly proceeded to get my books, trying my hardest not to think how close he was standing to me. I felt his breath on my ear, for goodness sake!

"Well, well, well," I said back, "if it isn't the Prince of Dirt. What do you want?"

"I'm hurt, I thought you'd be glad to see me." He put on this obviously fake hurt tone.

"Just as glad as I am to see my period every month."

"What are you? Obsessed with blood?"

I abruptly turned around and came practically nose-to-nose with him. I growled when he suggestively cocked an eyebrow.

That got me ticked.

"You know what? You and my period do have something in common."

"Oh?" he asked. "And that would be?"

"That would be that both seem to give me migraines that never seem to go away." I tapped on his forehead protector during the last five words for emphasis. He got annoyed at this and tried to grab my finger, but I pulled it away.

He removed his arms after a calming breath, put hands in his pockets and began to walk away. "See you Saturday." He called over his shoulder. Fine, if that's how he wants to play…

Let the games begin.

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To: Hyuuga, Hinata; Tenten, Tenten; Yamanaka, Ino

From: Haruno, Sakura

Subject: Trouble

Guys, come to my house a little earlier than planned. The guys are definitely up to something.

Sakura

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**Author's Notes: **Well, tell me what you guys think! I promise it will get more interesting in the next chapter! Also, I'm interested in a beta reader. PM me if you're interested.


	2. Revenge is Sweet

**Author's Notes: **Oh wow! This story is more popular than I thought it would be! Thank you to everyone who reviewed. The beta will be announced in the author's notes at the beginning of chapter three. Once again, thanks!

**!Important!**

This came to my attention in a review from **-Kristine x3-**, "I have one question, if they are in the real world and high school, why do they use ninjutsus and forehead protectors." Yes, this is an AU fiction, but I'm going to clarify this for everyone. Firstly, if they didn't use ninjutsus, then Naruto just wouldn't be Naruto. I'd like to think it adds some flair and characteristics from the real Naruto world. Secondly, the forehead protectors are kind of like…uniforms. They can wear anything they want, but the forehead protector categorizes them as being students at Konoha High School. Later, when some other characters from other Villages come into the picture, they'll have different symbols from their respective schools. (i.e. Mist, Sound, Sand, etc.) Hope that clears it up!

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno, and every other girl trying to be with Sasuke but failing miserably.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Teen Idol.

Chapter 2: Revenge is Sweet

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Dear Annie,

I really like this guy, and I'm not really sure if he likes me back. He's my chem. partner and he doesn't really talk to me at all. He's so popular and I'm just this little nobody person. I want him to notice me, but I don't want him to think that I'm obsessed over him or that I'm one of the annoying girls that always tries to ask him out. I'm not trying to gain popularity or anything, I just think it'd be nice if we were friends…or maybe more. What should I do?

Hopeless

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Dear Hopeless,

I've seen and heard from a lot of people like you, and I tell them this. Find something that you are mutually interested in and try to strike up a conversation. Talking is the best way. If he shuts you out, then he thinks you are annoying. (Believe me, I know) Ease off of him a bit and try later. Hopefully, he'll warm up to you. Also, if he gives you this "holier-than-thou" attitude, he's not even worth your time.

Your Friend,

Annie

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She woke up to a beautiful morning, sun shining, birds singing, blah, blah, blah. However, this isn't the reason that the pink-haired kunoichi was smiling, oh no. Today was beautiful because today was a Friday. Everyone loves Fridays. I mean, you get to torture everyone one last time before heading home for the weekend.

Which was _exactly_ what she planned on doing.

Going through her normal routine quickly she thought of various plots. She probably thought of everything from setting the sprinklers on him to setting him on fire during a chemistry experiment. But nothing…nothing she thought of seemed to fit him. She wanted him to suffer…and suffer badly. And while running around spastically trying to put out a fire would give her nothing but glee, she wanted something that ultimately wouldn't fail.

Heh, heh…he was definitely going to need clinic clothes after this!

It wasn't until she got downstairs and saw what her mother was chopping that the perfect idea came into her head. Tomatoes. He liked tomatoes, didn't he? And after all, it was her duty as a _loyal servant to the Prince_ to please him, was it not? If he liked tomatoes, then she would give him tomatoes.

Piece of burnt toast in hand, she headed out the door for school.

But first, a stop at the grocery was necessary.

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Mistake Number 1: Sasuke, Prince extraordinaire, was on time to school. It wasn't a first, but it wasn't a last either. If he was late, all he'd have to do was make up a lame excuse to his homeroom teacher and she'd excuse him. If he had an unrelenting substitute, all he'd have to do was glare and they'd usually let him go. As a last resort, to which he's only had to use once in his entire school career, was to pull out his cell phone and show the teacher that he was, in fact, dialing Itachi.

The Uchiha brothers were _legendary_.

Besides he wasn't late, everyone else was just early. Which brings us to…

Mistake Number 2: If he was early, she'd be _earlier_. According to the many students that were actually on time to school, she was one of the earliest to get to class, her and her three friends. Honestly, he didn't know how. The only one who could probably afford a car in that bunch was Hinata, since she was, after all, a Hyuuga. Judging by Neji's vast array of cars, she could afford a very, _very_ nice car, have it paid for _in cash_, and then afford to have it washed and waxed twice a day, everyday. But Hinata wasn't like that. She could have something off the used car lot and be totally happy with it. But how did the others get to school? They all lived in normal, middle class houses. Did they bike to school everyday? Such a mystery. Especially one in the bunch that he could never figure out or begin to understand. Bringing us to…

Mistake Number 3: He underestimated Haruno Sakura.

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Sakura was a smart girl, that's already been said. She liked being smart, it was one thing she was very good at. One had to be smart to be studying in the medical field. She was already a doctor's assistant because of her brain and talents. But today…today she felt like a genius. Why?

She remembered her camera.

She was around a corner from where _his_ locker was, camera poised and ready. She peeked around the corner to see him fiddling with the combination. Just wait till he saw the sticky note with a hand in a V-for-victory pose in the back. Oh, his face would be absolutely priceless!

Three… Two… One…

Splash!

**'Hell YEAH!' **Inner Sakura yelled in her head. She rounded the corner to see exactly what she wanted to see. A large crowd of gasping fangirls, some screaming, all of which holding napkins. And in the center of it all, was a raven-haired, conceited prince, covered head to toe in sticky, goopy tomato sauce.

"Say cheese!"

He had one instant to look towards her, and before he could even make out a glare or narrow his eyes…

She snapped a picture.

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Hinata giggled. She never enjoyed playing pranks on people, but watching a plan come together was always funny. She watched as Sakura quickly left Sasuke to his fangirls, Sasuke growling the whole time.

"Hey, Hinata!"

She jumped and spun around.

"Oh, Naruto-kun."

"Sakura-chan is pretty good at this stuff, huh?"

She looked over towards the crowd, "Yes, she is." When she turned back around, Naruto wasn't three inches from her face. She immediately blushed and backed off slightly, before she fainted from a head rush.

"You aren't going to do anything to me, are you, Hinata-chan?"

If she wasn't a Hyuuga, Hinata would be on the ground with swirls for eyes by now.

"No." She said, somewhat hesitantly. She may have gotten over her stuttering problem, but shyness was something she had in spades! "I don't like playing pranks."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good to hear. I bet if you tried, you could do some major damage." He looked down at her, "Not only that, you've got Neji on your side!"

"I suppose…"

"But don't worry, Hinata-chan," He patted her head. "You're too nice to prank." The warning bell chose that moment to ring. "Got to go, catch you later!"

"Yeah…"

He left, and she went to her own homeroom. Neji was coming her way, though, and she had to squash the smile that was slowly spreading ear to ear.

Neji sometimes took the big brother thing to all new extremes.

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"While everyone is filing in, please open up to page 219 in your books and begin reading." Asuma-sensei announced to the class.

Shikamaru lazily got out his book, he could at least turn to the right page, pretend to read, and then fall asleep. No one would bother him then. It was definitely a good plan. Besides, he was a genius, right? What did he need school for? It was just so troublesome.

While absently flipping pages, he scanned the room, just to be safe. He'd heard about what happened to Sasuke, he would be ready for _anything_. Let's see, Chouji was reading next to him on the right, eating potato chips, blonde kid, brunette, black haired kid…

Ah-ha! Kunoichi Barbie, three rows down at 12 o'clock.

"Hey, Shikamaru…" Chouji said, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Um…I didn't know you were into…that stuff…"

He looked down at his book, he knew the pages felt different _somehow_…

"Hey!" A kid behind him called out, "Shikamaru's got nudes!"

People immediately came up to him and looked down at the pages of a magazine.

Someone screamed. "Oh My! Shikamaru's GAY!" Because super-glued to the required reading, was a _Playgirl_ Issue.

Through the mass crowd, he could see Ino, smiling innocently and waggling her fingers at him.

_Women are so troublesome!_

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Sakura was just happily getting her books when she felt someone behind her. She turned to see Sasuke glaring daggers in (giggles here) a ratty old t-shirt and sweats. Not that he really didn't look good, fangirls were still swooping, it was just laughable to see someone with such high status dressed like THAT.

Without warning, he pulled her face into his shoulder. "Smell." It wasn't a request, it was an order. She decided to appease him just this once and came back choking. "Now, what do you smell?"

Sakura gagged. "…mothballs."

"I'm going to get you for this"

She smiled. "I know. I look forward to it."

Insert Famous Patented Uchiha Death Glare©.

She laughed at him until she noticed him staring at her intently. "What?"

"I'm trying to decide if I should keep calling you Pink…you're more like…Dyed Pink…"

_Oh…I hate rumors…_She had to work at it to get her inner self from screaming "Kill the Uchiha!"

"I do not dye my hair." She gave him a flat look and grabbed one of his fangirls. "Ami, you're a dyed-blonde, help us out." Ami looked offended. "Now what color are her roots?" She felt like she was talking to an insolent child.

"Brown."

"And what color are mine?" She didn't even have to dip her head, she only came up to his nose.

"Pink…that explains nothing."

After letting the fangirl go, she took a calming breath. "Do you really think that I would go through the trouble to dye by eyebrows pink?"

"Perhaps." He looked thoughtful. But that was utterly ridiculous, Sasuke Uchiha did not think. "There's only one way I can be absolutely certain."

He looked down.

She looked down.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You're a despicable human being."

"Well I find you intelligent and highly attractive." Bam! "I win."

"You cheated, Hyuuga!"

"I didn't cheat, Tenten, you let your guard down."

"I call a rematch!" She put her elbow on the table.

"Fine." He put his elbow down and took her hand in his.

"Ready…and…"

"YOU **PERVERT**!"

"Aw, come on. It was kind of fun—"

"I'LL SHOW YOU FUNNY, YOU LITTLE CHICKEN SHIT!"

Bam! "I win!"

"You cheated."

"I didn't cheat, Hyuuga, you let your guard down." Tenten stuck her tongue out at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Put that away."

"Or what?"

"Or I might do something very, very not nice with it, that's what."

She hastily sucked it back in her mouth.

And he was blissfully unaware that Ino was behind him, putting hot pink stripes in his hair.

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Kakashi-sensei didn't like commotions, he liked peace, and quiet…and all the people in his class to do their damn work so he could go back to reading his book. So when everyone was telling him someone was drowning, his first thought was, "Then get them out of the water, stupid."

Then he looked out the window.

He walked up to them, or rather her, and laughed slightly.

Sasuke was lying face down in the fountain, with a foot holding his head underwater, and the other foot standing on the small of his back. Both feet belonging to one of his best-behaved students, Sakura.

"Ah…Sakura…he needs to breathe." Sasuke was gurgling water by that point. Kakashi had to give her points for staying on, because he was thrashing around and struggling.

Sakura sighed in disappointment and let him come up for air.

"Get off of me woman! Do you know how heavy you—gurgle."

Oh well, Kakashi thought, he had his chance…and completely blew it.

He calmly sat on the side of the fountain and got out his Icha Icha Paradise book.

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**Private Chat Room 112**

_LadyHyuuga06 has signed on._

_CherryBlossoms has signed on._

_PrincessIno12 has signed on._

_WeaponsMistress has signed on._

**CherryBlossoms:** I love payback.

**WeaponsMistress:** Yeah…Neji walked around the whole day with pink stripes. He was so mad when he found out.

**LadyHyuuga06:** He still is. He's been in the shower for almost three hours. I can hear him cursing from the other side of the compound.

**LadyHyuuga06:** …All the hot water…sigh.

**PrincessIno12:** Heh…Shikamaru was ticked all day. He jumped when another guy touched him.

**WeaponsMistress:** Didn't he get a bunch of love notes from gays in his locker?

**CherryBlossoms:** I walked past there and gagged on all the testosterone.

**PrincessIno12:** Do gays have testosterone?

**CherryBlossoms:** Actually, it may have been too much estrogen.

**WeaponsMistress:** Kinda like a sorority party.

**LadyHyuuga06:** Don't you think they'll want revenge?

**CherryBlossoms:** Probably.

**PrincessIno12:** That's why we're going to be prepared for our sleepover.

**WeaponsMistress:** I feel like an undercover spy already!

**CherryBlossoms:** Well, we'll work out the details tomorrow. Can never tell who's listening.

**PrincessIno12:** AKA: Uzumaki.

**LadyHyuuga06:** He's not so bad. I mean, he refused to prank me.

**WeaponsMistress:** Or face the wrath of the Pink Hyuuga.

**PrincessIno12:** That sounds like a gangster name...or a super villain.

**CherryBlossoms:** Suits him quite well.

**WeaponsMistress:** Hey we can give them all super villain-y names.

**CherryBlossoms:** I've always wanted to talk in code.

**PrincessIno12:** I know what I'm naming a certain someone…

**WeaponsMistress:** Same.

**CherryBlossoms:** Oh, I've got to go. My job requires my attentions.

**CherryBlossoms:** Call my cell if you think of anything.

**PrincessIno12:** K.

**WeaponsMistress:** Gotcha.

**LadyHyuuga06:** Ok.

**CherryBlossoms:** Bye.

_CherryBlossoms has signed off._

_LadyHyuuga06 has signed off._

_PrincessIno12 has signed off._

_WeaponsMistress has signed off._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Private Chat Room 41 

_Troublesome99 has signed on._

_ILoveRamen10 has signed on._

_PrinceofDarkness has signed on._

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed on._

**Troublesome99:** Women are so troublesome.

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Yeah, we know.

**PrinceofDarkness:** I've taken four showers to try to get this smell off.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** Ha…I win. I've taken six.

**ILoveRamen10:** I don't know what you're griping about. It's just a little dye…

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** No, there's a LOT of dye. A girl asked me if I was gay.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Yeah…if I hear, "Does it smell like tomatoes" one more time…

**Troublesome99:** Ha! You guys are lucky. I'm scarred for life.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Oh yeah, I heard about that. I wondered why everyone was saying that you were gay. A fangirl of mine told me what happened.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** I've still got pink highlights…my Uncle has been looking at me all night.

**ILoveRamen10:** Oh yeah! You live with Hinata!

**Troublesome99: **You make it sound so…wrong…

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** We live in the same compound.

**ILoveRamen10:** Oh…

**PrinceofDarkness:** My brother just came in and smirked at me.

**ILoveRamen10:** What'd he say?

**PrinceofDarkness:** he said, "you know, if you eat too much of one thing, you'll start to smell like it."

**PrinceofDarkness: **Bah! I hate him. I need to Kanton! Gokakyuu no Jutsu somebody.

**Troublesome99:** …

**PrinceofDarkness:** Hey, Naruto, you live the closest to me, right?

**ILoveRamen10: **I guess…

**PrinceofDarkness:** Great, I'll be over in 5 minutes.

_PrinceofDarkness has signed off._

**ILoveRamen10:** What was that all…oh hold on, there's someone at the door.

**ILoveRamen10:** Oh shi— 80-528n5209)(T)&)OIPOIJ(&&$

_PrinceofDarkness has signed on._

**PrinceofDarkness:** Hey! There and back in under two minutes! A record!

**ILoveRamen10:** I feel…fried…

**PrinceofDarkness:** Because you are.

**ILoveRamen10:** Hey! Sakura-chan is working at the hospital! She can heal me!

**PrinceofDarkness:** Not if I get there first.

_ILoveRamen10 has signed off._

_PrinceofDarkness has signed off._

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** …

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** Should we go after them?

**Troublesome99: **Too troublesome.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** Agreed.

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed off._

_Troublesome99 has signed off._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura sighed. She was finally off from work. She really truly didn't mind these half-days, it was just very tiring to use her chakra on so many people. She was just walking out when a figure came running toward her.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"

Oh…my…GOSH!

"Naruto!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Damn, he had lost the dobe. He went into the hospital to find out what room he was in, only to be grabbed by the ear and shoved into an elevator. He turned to see the doors shutting, and a very tired looking kunoichi pressing the basement button.

"Hey, if you wanted a make-out session I would have happily obliged—"

"Shut-up." Her tone was short, demanding. She must have figured out that it was him that…

Oops…

She pushed him into an office with cream-colored walls and various knickknacks. This was her office. He knew from 1) the pictures of her friends and 2) there was her nametag on her desk.

"Ah, you're right, this is a much better make-out spot than the elevator." There was a tiny voice screaming "Shut up idiot!" in his head, but that was the reasoning voice in his head. The one with all of the good advice that he never listened to. He noticed her tense posture inside of her white lab coat and he gulped. Why did Naruto like her so much? She was scary as all get out.

"Why was Naruto burned to a crisp?"

"Um…"

"No, I'm sorry, let me rephrase. Why did YOU burn Naruto to a crisp?"

"I…" for once he was actually speechless.

"I was supposed to get off at eight, do you know what time it is now?"

"No."

"It's ten-thirty!" She fumed for a second and took a deep breath. "Look, I've had a long day and now I've had to stay two-and-a-half hours overtime because of you!" She paused. "I'm not even getting paid!"

Sasuke did feel somewhat guilty, she looked dead tired, near fainting. He didn't know what a medical-nin did, exactly, but he knew it used a lot of chakra. But before he could apologize (yeah, right) or make up excuses, a brunette with a clipboard waltzed in the office.

"Sakura, I heard the screaming, dear. Are you alright?" She looked at him. "Who are you?"

"Don't mind him, he was just leaving." Sakura snapped. She sat at her desk, which faced them. She knew better than to put her head down, she'd never be able to lift it back up!

The brunette gave a look of understanding and, taking the pen from behind her ear, wrote something on her clipboard. "What's your name?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Right. U-chi-ha Sa-su-ke."

"What are you doing?"

She looked at him. "Why, I'm admitting you to the hospital." She must have seen his confused look. "Because if I don't she will." She gestured towards Sakura, who was filling out a stack of paperwork, likely for Naruto. "Now, before you get in anymore trouble, leave."

He didn't need to be told twice, but he didn't like being pushed around. As he was walking out, he heard:

"Sakura, dear, why does it smell like tomatoes?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes:** Bah! Thirteen FULL pages, I hope you're happy! I figured that would be a good a time to end it. Please review! Still looking for beta!


	3. Sleepover Madness

**Author's Notes:** Wow! I never thought that this story would have such good reviews! Thank you to everyone, I really appreciate it! Sorry for the wait, by the way, I'll try to have the next chapter up quicker. Another note, is that the times in this chapter will be explained in the next chapter, so don't get confused by them.

**Thanks to daydreamer, who is my new beta! Yay!**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno, and every other girl trying to be with Sasuke but failing miserably.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (or Sakura, Sasuke, etc.)

Chapter 3: Sleepover Madness

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

You know, someone would have to be really high to trust anything you write. What are you, smoking something? I can't believe all of this (censored) you tell everyone. How would you know about these kinds of things anyway? You know, I bet you're the biggest (censored) and can't find any friends at all! You are such a (censored), you know that? You (censored) (censored) (censored)!

Dying Laughing

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Dying Laughing,

If you don't agree with me, then why are you reading my column?

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

For every party, you've got to have a mental checklist. If not, then you can't not think of something and have to go running six blocks to the nearest 7-11 to get it. Paper checklists are no fun, and anything else is kind of nerdy. That being said, we now find Sakura sitting in her living room, going over all the things she could possibly need for tonight.

Snacks and Drinks (check)

Movies—in a vast variety of assortments, which include scary, humorous, etc. (check)

Nail Polish (check)

A space to sleep—optional (check)

Junk Food (check)

Money—for pizza, mall, or (ahem) pay offs (check)

Ice Cream—a whole different category from Junk Food (check)

…All the stuff you really don't need, but want anyway (check)

Comfy Couch (check)

Popcorn—again a whole different category (check)

An entire arsenal of…things…that make grown men scream like little girls (check)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Uchiha Sasuke was pacing.

Oh sorry, let me emphasize.

**THE**_ Uchiha Sasuke_ was **pacing.**

No, he had thought, they can't come up with revenge plans over night, there's no way that a stupid group of girls could do that! Girls, like Shikamaru often said, were stupid and too troublesome. No way could they come up with good ideas overnight!

But they had.

Imagine what they could do with a day and a half. Shudder.

Currently, it was going on about five-thirty, which meant that the rest of the guys would show up any minute to begin the plotting session. They needed something good, very good. Enough to make them wish that they had never messed with an Uchiha! …or a Hyuuga, or Nara, but maybe not an Uzumaki. He was just to kind hearted for his own good.

The doorbell rang, and he heard a maid answer it downstairs. They had arrived.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**6:30**

"I love this limo, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled, it was the least she could do to have the driver drive them to the mall in one of the Hyuuga's sleek black limousines. Besides, the driver wasn't getting paid for nothing, was he?

Ino squealed, "The mall! Isn't it beautiful?"

Sakura looked at her, and whispered to the other two, "I didn't know Ino could say anything other than "_I_ am beautiful"." The other two girls in the vehicle giggled.

Ino glared. "What was that forehead-girl?"

"You shouldn't be listening in on other people's conversations, Ino-pig!"

Oh boy…

"At least I don't have a huge forehead!"

"At least I'm not a porker!"

"Oh look! A 747! Where's it gonna land? _Sakura's forehead_!"

"Squeal little piggy! Squeal! Aw, look, she's turning pink!"

"At least my hair is all natural!"

"Don't make me laugh! You're roots are brown!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"…"

"What's the matter Miss Forehead? Run out of clever little insults?"

Perfect. Moving in for the kill. "Ino…what's with your hair?"

"What do you mean?"

Innocent look. "Oh nothing. Never mind."

Which meant that Ino spent the remaining five minutes of the trip looking for a mirror. Poor thing, she was completely paranoid.

"We're here!"

Ino shot out the door and went to the nearest bathroom.

"**Sakura! You jerk!"**

She high-fived Tenten.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**7:45**

They were sitting at the food court, deciding what movie they'd watch when they got back. Tough choices, but at least they picked out a genre: scary. There was nothing like a scary movie to sleep on. Now all they had to do was pick the one they wanted to watch. Meanwhile, Sakura was staying unusually silent and looking at something over Hinata's shoulder.

There were two men. One was blue. Literally, blue. He looked like he just came out of some freak show, or punk rocker concert. However, this was not the one that Sakura was staring at. It was the other man, with hair tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck and two red eyes. He had a more mature look, like he should be in a business office rather than a mall.

Quickly, Sakura grabbed a piece of paper that appeared from out of nowhere and wrote something on it.

"Hey, isn't that…"

"Oh my gosh!" Ino hissed. "That's Sasuke's older brother!"

"Itachi?"

Sakura stood.

"Don't go over there! That's suicide!"

Too bad she just didn't listen.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He sipped his Starbucks drink. "There is a woman headed over here, Kisame."

"Really?"

"Don't get your hopes up, she looks my brother's age."

"He's always getting the good ones!"

"Uchiha Itachi?" She asked, standing by their table looking at the older of the Uchiha brothers.

Kisame cursed the Uchihas, they always got the good ones!

He looked at her lazily. Do I know you? Do I want to? Please don't ask for dates. But he settled for, "Do we have business?"

"I believe we do." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Look, it's no secret that you dislike your brother, right?"

"Perhaps."

"Good, so do I." Now that was the statement that surprised the men the most. Usually fangirls came up to him asking if he could get his brother to go out with them. This was definitely…refreshing. "Now, I've got a plan, but it will only work if you cooperate."

Itachi smirked. "And this plan would be…?"

Sakura put the paper on the table in front of them.

Kisame laughed out loud. Itachi settled for an evil, but very seductive smirk.

They looked at each other, and Kisame grabbed a chair and pulled it up to their table.

"Sit." Itachi did not request. He ordered. "Now about this plan."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Three girls stared in amazement and utter shock.

"She…she's sitting down." Ino spluttered.

"They're…conversing."

Tenten grinned. "No, Hinata, they're plotting."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**8:04**

They had finally decided to go home after the incident in the food court. Sakura needed a private place, namely her house, to tell them what she had proposed to Itachi. They burst out laughing when they found out. Except for Hinata, of course, who winced and said, "That's rather cruel…" Which only made the other three laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry Hinata, but they deserve it." Sakura told her.

While on the outside Sakura had maintained her calm composure, inside, she had been shaking in front of Itachi. It got even worse when they had asked her to sit down. However, in the end, it had worked. Itachi agreed to cooperate on one condition, that _they_ left him alone. Sakura agreed to these terms and left, going back to her friends.

Now they were distributing flyers to _their_ houses, or most of them anyway. After all, if you told one, you told them all. Anyway, currently they were watching the scary movie they had picked out, along with popcorn and drinks.

Suddenly, Ino screamed. They all looked at her, and then at the TV. Repeat.

"Something just passed by the window!"

Sakura picked up the remote, put the movie on pause, and went past the television to the window. "Nothing's out here Ino, are you sure you saw something?" She turned back to the group, only to have all three of them tense up and scream.

"Behind you Sakura!" Tenten pointed to the window. Sakura abruptly turned around to be met with…nothing.

"There was something there, really!" That was Hinata, who sounded scared.

"I believe you, it just would have been nice to have seen it."

There was a scratching sound at the front door. Everyone tensed. The pink haired kunoichi was pushed forward slightly, in a it's-your-house…you-answer-the-door kind of motion. She inched forward, slowly reaching for the kunai she always kept with her. She flung the door open…

…to be met with the bleeding body of Sasuke Uchiha.

No, he wasn't laying down, like a half-dead person should have been. He was standing up, eyes hooded, one crusted over with blood, eyeing them warily. Sakura stood there in a shock, Tenten was comforting a thoroughly freaked out Hinata, and Ino, eyes wide, covered her mouth.

Something clicked in Sakura's mind. This wasn't Sasuke…

She grabbed the kunai she had been reaching for and drove it into his chest. He looked down, seemingly oblivious to the gasps, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clone. Sakura shut the door and flipped the two locks.

"How…did you know?" Hinata asked.

"Well firstly, if Sasuke was hurt, I doubt he'd come to my house, of all places—"

"But he could have been attacked outside your house and come in for help!"

"Ino, I really hate to admit it, but Sasuke is stronger than that. I had all kinds of trouble holding him underwater. I'm sure he could escape a few bandits. Anyway, there was no smell." Seeing their confused look, she continued. "Even if it was a Kage Bunshin, the blood didn't have any kind of smell to it. Besides, I couldn't feel Sasuke's overpowering ego."

Ino gave a nervous laugh, "So it was kind of stupid for us to be scared, huh?"

While the others were relieved, Tenten was angry; she did not like being fooled. "You know what this calls for, don't you?" They exchanged looks. She smirked evilly. "The Box."

Again screams could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

Ah…The Box. An evil little black thing that the four kunoichi women treasured, and everyone else feared. It was no bigger than a shoebox, and if you looked inside it and you'd see a few graded assignments from class. However, dig deeper and you could find every possible prank imagined, collected since the girls were nine. It could be a prank from anywhere. Newspapers, TV, magazine, or one that was played on you. Every single thing went into The Box.

All the lights went off in the house, as they scurried upstairs towards Sakura's room with only a flashlight, as was tradition for getting The Box. She opened her closet door and they got down on their knees with her. Sakura gave the flashlight to Hinata to hold while she lifted two boards from the floor.

Out came The Box.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I don't get it, how could it have not worked!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura had seen the clone…and killed it. "How'd she know!"

"Apparently we have to get trickier." Neji murmured.

Naruto spoke again. "Yay! We've got the genius, Shikamaru, on our side!"

"But they've got Sakura on theirs." Sasuke growled. Currently, their position was high in a tree, in the yard across from Sakura's. They were watching for the opportune moment.

About thirty seconds after Sakura had killed the clone, the girls screamed.

The boys exchanged looks.

"Apparently, she doesn't care about you much, Sasuke-teme."

"Shut-up. They're doing something." Right after Shikamaru said that, the lights in the house went out, and the beam of a flashlight was headed upstairs along with four silhouettes.

"What are they up to…?"

"Damn troublesome girls."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**9:45**

It was time to pick.

The scroll was laid on the floor, open to only half of it's length, and four girls gathered around it. The picking was the most important part of this ritual. It determined the skill, the supplies, and the after effects of the prank. Picking was like how a surgeon operated, sterile, precise, and with deadly accuracy. Finally it was chosen that Tenten should do the picking.

She closed her eyes, swirled her finger above the paper, and randomly pointed at one.

"Ooh! Good choice!"

Indeed it was.

"Ok…Hinata, can you tell us where the boys are?" Ino asked.

After a quick Byakugan search, Hinata answered. "They're in a tree across the street."

They all had their best oh-my-gosh-you-are-freaking-kidding-me face on.

"We need to get them away somehow." Sakura pondered out loud.

"I know!" Tenten exclaimed. "Let's send them to get something!"

Sakura thought. "We'd have to call Naruto, he's the only one that would agree."

"Which means you'll have to do it, Hinata!"

"M-me? But I can't—I mean…ugh…"

"Relax!" Ino said as she handed her a cell phone, which was already dialing Naruto.

"I don't even wanna know how you got his cell number." Sakura muttered.

"What should I ask him for?" Hinata asked.

Tenten smirked, and whispered something in Hinata's ear.

The poor thing nearly fainted.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Naruto's phone rang. He looked at the number, and seeing as it wasn't in his phone book, he didn't have a clue. However, he answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Naruto-kun?" The voice was shy, almost timid.

"Hinata, is that you?" Which immediately made Neji's head snap in his direction. "How did you get my number?"

"It's…ah…in the school directory."

"Oh, yeah!" He leaned back against the trunk of the tree comfortably. "So, what are you calling me for?" After all, she could have called Neji…her relative…

"Um, Naruto…" the lack of suffix should have been a smack to the forehead that there was something strange going on. But he, being Naruto, didn't notice. "Well…I was wondering if you could do me a _teeny _favor…"

"Which is…?"

All the rest of them saw was a blond-haired kid falling off the branch, beet red, and flailing to regain his balance.

"Yeah…heh, heh…sure I can." Pause. "No, no trouble at all, Hinata." Pause. "Um…ok…bye." He hung up. He ran his fingers through his hair, and lowered his head slightly. He mumbled something about women, and then turned to his three friends who, by now, had some questioning looks on their faces.

"They _all_ need tampons."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**9:53 **

"Tell me why we're here, again?" Neji asked. They had gone to the nearest drugstore, and had used their vast ninja skills to make themselves seemingly invisible as they looked through the aisles. After all, they weren't ninja for nothing, you know.

"For…moral support." Naruto answered. Then…they came across **it**….

"They need a whole aisle for feminine products?" Shikamaru asked. The rest of them simply gaped. No matter how mature, all had a definite blush on their cheeks. There was everything from Maxi Sized Tampons to Pads for Thongs. It was really quite confusing. And no matter what brand, _everything_ was pink or light blue.

Naruto, being appointed the job, picked up a random box of tampons with his thumb and pointer finger, and held them an arms length away. "These will have to do it." He went to the counter to pay for them, and the rest followed. Close enough to be there for "moral support", and far enough for the casual onlooker not to notice they were associated with the poor fool.

The old man at the counter just chuckled. "Getting these for your girlfriends, you four?"

Needless to say, a combined death glare from the Uchiha and Hyuuga prodigies was enough to make him want to wet his pants. He shut up after that.

Naruto's phone rang.

He looked at the number…

And out of his mouth there exploded a string of expletives.

Ignoring the voice in his head shouting, "Don't do it!" Naruto answered.

Big mistake.

"Hello?"

"Naruto-kun?" Said person winced, and when they saw the blond wince, so did everyone else.

"Ah…Hinata…" The other boys looked like they wanted to have nothing to do with this.

"I—I forgot to tell you what kind…"

"That's really, _really_ alright, Hinata…"

"But…"

There were sounds in the background. He recognized Sakura's voice yelling, "No! Get away from me!"

Ino screeched. "He's got a gun!"

Naruto looked panicked, and when the others asked what it was, he put his cell on speakerphone.

Immediately, the other boys could make out the sounds of a struggle. Tenten screamed.

"N-Naruto!" Hinata came back on sobbing. "H-he's got a g-gun!" And between "No! Put that down!" from Sakura and _"His finger is on the trigger!"_ from Tenten, there was a loud gunshot…and the line went dead.

"Shit!" Neji cursed.

They ran out of the drugstore, ignoring the tampons and leaving them at the counter. Naruto, fingers shaking, dialed three numbers.

"Nine-one-one emergency."

"There's been a break in and someone's been shot!" Naruto yelled into the phone.

"Sir, calm down. ("I can't calm down, damn it!") Can you tell me where?"

Naruto quickly gave Sakura's address and after being assured of a team on its way, he hung up.

After grueling moments, they reached Sakura's house…only to find…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Okay, back up. Let's rewind the story slightly and tell it from the girl's point of view.

Hinata was currently on the phone, "Naruto-kun?" Pause. "I—I forgot to tell you what kind…" This was where Hinata nodded at them, to be prepared. "But…"

Sakura screamed. "No! Get away from me!"

Ino, not to be outdone, yelled, "He's got a gun!"

Immediately, the two girls tackled each other, purposely making as much noise as possible. Tenten blew into a paper bag until it was the desired size, and screamed.

Hinata, ever the actress, came back onto the line, fake sobbing, "N—Naruto! H-he's got a g-gun!"

Sakura yelled, "No! Put that down!"

And Tenten followed up with, her voice sounding shaky and panicked, _"His finger is on the trigger!" _After which, she hit the paper bag so hard and so close to the phone, that it actually sounded like a legitimate gunshot. Hinata hit the "End Call" button.

They couldn't remember ever laughing so hard.

"Come on," Ino said, "Let's get back to the movie."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**10:03**

"I don't believe this…" Neji spoke first. They had been panicked and fearful when they got the call, even called the cops! Yet here were four girls, they saw through the window, watching a movie and eating popcorn.

"We fell for it…" Sasuke sounded just short of shocked.

"Hook, Line, and Sinker." Naruto, poor guy, had it worst off.

"Women are so troublesome!"

The rest were inclined to agree.

Sasuke smirked. "You know, this means payback."

Neji smirked also. "They're going to wish that they had never messed with us."

"And because they did, they must be _punished_."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The girls were innocent victims. Really! Well, okay, not really…but you get the point! Who were they to tell if the guys couldn't take a little joke? I mean, come on! Silly…harmless…joke…

Right?

Apparently, wrong.

The next thing they knew, the front door was in splinters, and four masked men barged in. They immediately jumped the screaming girls, ignoring certain items thrown, (such as: popcorn, sodas, fists, scythes, et cetera) and they held the girls back to chest, with one hand over their mouths and the other around their waist, blocking all arm movement.

Suddenly, after a few tense moments, there was laughter.

"Think we should let them off easy?" The man behind Hinata asked.

"No, no…" The voice was deadly close to Sakura's ear, it was deep…very seductive. Now where had she heard that voice…

Stop the presses!

"Sasuke Uchiha! Let me go NOW!" Sakura screamed after he had taken his hand off her mouth.

There was laughter as the others followed suit and removed their ANBU-like masks, revealing their faces.

"I don't **believe** you all!" Ino yelled. Every girl was furious, and if Hinata was, all it showed was a slight narrowing of the eyes.

"Neji Hyuuga!" Tenten began to kick her "assailant". "Let me go!"

He laughed lightly. "No." It seemed the other boys refused as well. "This is what you get."

And that is the position that Konoha's Police Force found them in.

There was no time for curse words as the boys were ripped away from their respective girls and brutally forced into cuffs.

"Wait, wait!" Naruto pleaded. "We can explain!"

One officer scoffed, "Well, I'd like to hear it."

"See, they made us go get them…uh…feminine products, right? So we get there and they call and it sounded like they were being attacked over the line. So we called you guys and then we found that they were fine and had played a prank on us. We got payback by dressing up as the men that we thought were attacking them and then you guys came in! We weren't really going to hurt them, honest!" Naruto quickly explained.

One officer out of the four quirked an eyebrow, "Ladies?"

"Officer," Sakura sighed. The guys were relieved at her tone. They wouldn't be spending the night in jail! But before they could get too excited, she glared at them. "We've never seen these men in our lives."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Wow, hope you all liked that. Fourteen pages. A new record. I hope you all like it with as much fun as I had writing it! Sorry the update was so late this time, I've been busy.


	4. The Evil Midnight Bomber

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed! It's really appreciated. If you're wondering where I got the title for this chapter, The Evil Midnight Bomber (What Bombs At Midnight!), it's a super villain from "The Tick." It's an old comedy show and I love it to death. And yes, that's the villain's full name. By the way, sorry for the late update. I've been in Florida for a week. XP. Hope you like this chapter, regardless of it's ultra-super lateness!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 4: The Evil Midnight Bomber (What Bombs At Midnight!)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I love my boyfriend to death, really, I do. It's just that he can be so possessive sometimes! For instance, I had a night out with some of my friends, all of them girls, and he's treating me like I need protecting! He got suspicious when I painted my nails, for goodness sake! It's not just that, but when I get off the phone he goes into this "twenty question" mode. He drives me insane sometimes! What can I do so he won't be like that anymore?

Irritated

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Irritated,

Most guys are possessive and that either means one of two things. One, is that you're such a good girlfriend that he wants to keep you all to himself. Or two, it means that he doesn't trust you enough and thinks you could be two-timing him. This is a simple problem to fix. Go up to him and tell him that you aren't going to be cheating on him anytime soon. Then tell him that while he thinks what he's doing is for the best, you need some breathing room. If he doesn't back off, you're going to have to get harsher with him. Hopefully this helps.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**10:54**

"Foolish little brother…"

Said brother glared.

Itachi hid a laugh behind his hand. At first, he had been mad when he got the call from the police department on his cell phone. He had an important meeting tomorrow morning, and was just climbing into bed when it happened. Luckily, Sasuke's punishment wasn't that harsh, because they recognized him as an Uchiha. The clan was the one that had founded this very department, after all.

"Would you please tell me why we have gotten a bill to replace the Haruno's front door?"

Glare. "We're innocent." The three others in the cell weren't speaking at all. They just kind of stared at the wall with their eyebrows furrowed. Except for Neji, who had his eyes closed with a visible tic developing.

"Okay then, would you like to know what charges they're _attempting_ to pin you with?" The older Uchiha pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Trespassing, breaking and entering, reckless endangerment, and…" his eyes squinted at the paper. "Molestation? You're joking me."

"The _hell_!" Naruto was the one that jumped up; meanwhile he had all the other's attentions. Naruto leaned against the bars as far as he could, "We did not molest them! It's all LIES!"

"So the fact that the officers found you holding them, very close to your person, I might add, and threatening them are lies?" He flicked the blonde's head to make him go away, and then leaned back against the opposite wall.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "We never threatened them."

His brother rolled his eyes, "Well then, that makes it all better." He crossed his arms. "You know that all of your parent's have been contacted. They agree that you should at least stay in there for the night." He gestured to their holding cell.

"Ha! You have nothing on me!" Naruto yelled.

"Don't worry, Iruka was contacted. He wasn't to happy about it." That shut him up. "Neither was your uncle, or your mother, come to think of it." He said to Neji and Shikamaru. "Nor was I, Sasuke." He looked at his little brother.

"Hn."

"You are lucky that our Mother and Father are in meetings right now in Paris, I just can't imagine how furious their going to be when I tell them."

Narrowing of the eyes. "You wouldn't."

"There goes your precious Aston Martin."

Sasuke loved his sports cars. All fourteen of them.

"But since I am such a loving and generous brother, I'm willing to bail you all out just this once." They all kind of blinked at him in a shocked manner. Itachi motioned for someone to unlock the door, and they were out of that cell quicker than he could say, "You're free to go."

"You owe me." Itachi said to the younger version of himself. He was rewarded with a, "Hn." With that, he went to his car and left them all in the dust. He smirked. He had…other reasons for letting them out. Miss Haruno's plan wouldn't work if they were in a cell.

Loving and generous brother my foot!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**11:05**

Neji rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hiashi's not going to like this."

Shikamaru was mumbling about troublesome women, and Naruto was going on and on about "erasers" and "dust" and "snot-nosed-two-faced little Academy brats."

Sasuke wanted to laugh at them but thought otherwise, thinking about their situations. Last time he had gotten in trouble with Hiashi or Mrs. Nara, he barely escaped with his life. "Look, you can all stay at my house for tonight."

They all agreed rather quickly.

Which is how they all found themselves in his room lying on beanbags, playing Halo 2 on Sasuke's Xbox Live. In fact, he was proud to say, his 55-inch plasma screen TV was showing the battle with excellent quality.

It was easy since they were all on the same team. Everyone in the room was excellent at these kind of games, which was a big improvement for Naruto. He spent the first fifteen minutes spinning around in circles, and now, forty-five minutes later, he was blasting everything in his path. The man was a killing machine. They had to stifle the laugh when the other team had muttered a few choice words when he took out the entire squadron in one fell swoop. But seriously, think about it. You've got:

Sasuke and Neji: The two genius prodigies.

Shikamaru: The strategist.

And Naruto: The quote: Killing machine that was gonna rip out your intestines through your ass and force feed them down your throat! Unquote.

The team was invincible.

It was getting to about ten till midnight, and the maids had brought all the things they could possibly need to survive, and were dismissed for the night. Which, for Naruto, included all the instant ramen he could possibly eat. However, if Sasuke saw one more maid peek her head in the door, he was going to throw a shuriken at them, girl or not. Five minutes passed. Nothing…thank goodness!

Finally, some peace.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**12:00**

There was a rumbling throughout the Uchiha estate. The boys paused the game and looked at each other questioningly.

"Earthquake?" Sasuke asked.

"Stampede?" Naruto guessed.

Neji activated his Byakugan and searched the house. His eyes widened. His mouth opened to curse, but the door was harshly opened and hundreds of people came into the room. For once, Naruto was right.

"Sasuke-kun! I love you!"

"Neji! Can I bear your children?"

"You're so adorable Naruto-kun!"

"Marry me, Shika-kun!"

Their eyes widened in pure, unadulterated horror.

"AAAHHHHH! FANGIRLS!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Itachi heard them all scream and downright laughed. Sakura Haruno was an ingenious person. He could definitely like someone like her, even if he had to replace her door.

"Kudos to the mastermind."

And then he fell asleep and dreamed of kittens and bunnies. His dream-self looked down and felt a kunai in his hand. He smiled.

"Oh goodie! Target practice!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The phone rang at Sakura's. The movie had been switched to a more comedic one, since they were very happy at the current moment. She giggled at a funny part before picking it up.

"Hello?"

(Muffled noises…rather like someone trying to talk while his face was in a breast-age region)

She laughed.

"When I get my hands on you, you're going to—"

"Get a restraining order?" She interrupted him. "Yeah, probably."

She could hear him growling, despite the female voices in the background.

"Sweet dreams, darling." She laughed before hanging up.

"Who was that?" Ino asked her.

"Oh, it was Sasuke." They quirked eyebrows at her. "He couldn't talk long, though, he was a little…busy."

They cackled evilly before returning to the movie.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

To: Aburame, Shino

From: Haruno, Sakura

Subject: Just a teensy, weensy little favor…

Shino, remember that itty, bitty favor you owe me? When I bailed you out in middle school from the…well I'm sure you remember. I'd like to call in that favor now, if that's not too much of a problem…

Sakura.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

To: Haruno, Sakura

From: Aburame, Shino

Subject: What do you want?

Yes, I remember. What is it?

Shino

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

To: Aburame, Shino

From: Haruno, Sakura

Subject: It's nothing much…

Attachment: Important Article (dot) doc

It's not really all that much, but could you put the attached document in Monday's paper? Please?

Sakura

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

To: Haruno, Sakura

From: Aburame, Shino

Subject: You must be joking

I can't put that in the paper! I'll be fired.

…

…

…

Fine. I'll do it.

Shino

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In one day, he had been sent for tampons, arrested, and molested by what seemed to be hundreds of girls. Neji confirmed the statement, and managed to count the number of girls that had come barreling into his room and hung themselves all over the boys.

498 women.

Ranging from, Neji informed again, ten-year-old girls to thirty-year-old women with babies. Thankfully, there was only one senior. They had to call in ANBU, high-ranking government law enforcement, to come and disperse the crowd. It had taken two hours for Hiashi to call, thirty minutes for Iruka to call, and five seconds for Mrs. Nara, screaming for all the world that her "damn troublesome son" better get his ass back to the house before he caused a riot.

And all of this was before she learned of his arrest earlier in the evening.

Sasuke's cell phone rang, and he picked it up without looking at the number.

"Hello?"

"Sasuke? Are you all right?" It was his mother.

"Mom, really…"

"I heard about what happened."

"Nothing _bad_ happened…" _Per se_.

"Don't worry, Sasuke dear. When I get back home we can pile drive them into the ground okay?" Her voice sounded far too happy. "Shut up, Fugaku! If he wasn't so good-looking we wouldn't be having this problem!" Ah…so his father was there with her. "After all," he heard the smirk in her voice, "he is _my_ son, of course he's incredibly handsome!" No, she wasn't conceited at all. "Actually, why didn't the guards stop them? They were on their rounds, right? Or why didn't the maids call the police?"

"I suggest you consult your _other_ son." Sasuke told her flatly.

She was talking to her husband once more. "You had better call _your son_," she hissed at him. "And tell him that I love him and miss him and that if he ever tries a stunt like this again, I will disown him and give him to a hobo with naught but the clothes on his back." The only one that dared ever go against Uchiha Itachi—perfect student, master of their bloodline limit, ANBU captain—was Uchiha Mikoto.

Which must have been why Sasuke was closer with his mother. Who knew?

Seconds later he smirked as yells were heard in the background. Threatening yells that took away allowance, cars, and put up a curfew except when he was on missions. All of this, directed at Itachi. Life was good…

He shivered in his bedroom, alone because everyone else had been summoned home, and looked around. Was that a dark, evil aura settling itself around the house? No, that was silly. It was probably just his imagination.

But no sooner had he said his goodbyes to his mother and hung up, his door opened and slammed against the opposite wall. In the doorframe, stood Itachi, stark mad, breathing smoke, kunai in hand, and Sharingan activated.

_Uh oh…_

In one day he had been sent for tampons, arrested, molested, and beaten up by his own flesh and blood. This really was **not **his day.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Private Chat Room 83**

_Troublesome99 has signed on._

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed on._

_ILoveRamen10 has signed on._

_PrinceofDarkness has signed on._

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** So…? What's the damage?

**ILoveRamen10:** Iruka found out about me getting arrested. No ramen for two days.

**ILoveRamen10:** I THINK I'M GONNA DIIIIEEEEEEE!

**Troublesome99:** I'm on house arrest for the rest of my life.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Ouch.

**Troublesome99:** Nah, she'll probably cancel it by tomorrow afternoon.

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** Hiashi found out about the arrest, too. He didn't mind that so much as why I didn't give the fangirls the 64 hands of Hakke.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Actually…I got of easily.

**ILoveRamen10:** NO FAIR!

**PrinceofDarkness:** Mom called and offered to pile drive the girls into the ground when she got back. Then she learned that Itachi was behind the whole thing.

**PrinceofDarkness: **Itachi has been punished. And he sought revenge. Which is why I have abandoned the house for the night.

**Troublesome99:** …So where are you now?

**PrinceofDarkness:** International Strip Club.

**ILoveRamen10:** YOU PERV! That's disgusting!

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **You lie. You're at that coffee place near the school.

**PrinceofDarkness:** Sigh…Caught me.

**ILoveRamen10:** …

**ILoveRamen10:** That wasn't funny.

**PrinceofDarkness:** It had you fooled, didn't it?

**ILoveRamen10:** HA! I knew the truth all along!

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** Then why are you beet red with embarrassment?

**ILoveRamen10:** Hey! Quit using your Byakugan on me!

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** I wasn't. I just guessed.

**Troublesome99:** You really _did _fall for it…

**Troublesome99:** Stupid…

**ILoveRamen10: **Hey!

**PrinceofDarkness:** I've got to go. I think I'm about to be mauled again. Women are staring…

**Troublesome99:** Now that you mention it…my mom has been threatening to break the door down for about five minutes.

**Troublesome99:** How troublesome…

**ByakuganHyuuga03:** I'm supposed to be meditating.

_PrinceofDarkness has signed off._

_Troublesome99 has signed off._

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed off._

**ILoveRamen10: **BAAAHHH! I'M ALL ALONE!

**ILoveRamen10:** I need ramen…_now_.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke walked into school Monday morning, feeling worse than he had in a long time. Stupid Itachi. It was all his fault. He was going to get his revenge! Just you wait!

He saw the others standing by his locker, obviously waiting for him to get there, Shikamaru clutching the _Konoha High Tribune_, the school newspaper. They had strange looks on their faces and, he noticed, more girls were coming up to him and asking for dates than usual. After the little incident on Saturday, he didn't want to be around any girl asking him out for another month!

"What is it?" He asked them. Shikamaru handed him the paper.

Neji, rubbing the bridge of his nose, spoke, "Read the front page."

And there, the cover story of the century stood out at him.

**School Playboys on Dating Market**

_Article by Haruno Sakura_

_Girls, are you tired of having previously been turned down by the school's resident playboys? Well then, you'll be disappointed no more! This reporter has just recently learned that Hyuuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto have decided to get themselves long-term girlfriends that will be loyal and faithful to them no matter what. What are their standards? "Well, tall, but not taller than me, someone with a good heart and not after money. Someone who loves ramen and isn't afraid to have a good time!" Uzumaki Naruto told the _Konoha High Tribune_. They will be having interviews during lunch everyday until each and every one of them finds the right girl. "Don't be intimidated. We don't bite." Uzumaki added as a last remark. Another source that chose to remain anonymous had this to say: "If the relationship lasts long enough, and is a serious one, marriage might even be possible in the future." Well, what are you waiting for? Go on and ask them, before someone else gets the guy of your dreams!_

Sasuke stared blankly at the paper. What. The. **Hell**.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **The joy of every fanfiction writer is to torture their victims—I mean characters. Riiight…characters. Please review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	5. A Hard Day's Night

**Author's Notes**: Bah! Sorry for the wait. I have been bombarded with school work and have not had any time to write. I feel like such a bad person! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I know some of you were craving some fluff, so I weaved a bit in for you!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 5: A Hard Day's Night

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

WAAAAHHH! ANNIE!

Like oh my gosh! I've got this date on Friday and this really hot guy is taking me to this really swanky restaurant. Anyway, I've picked out this really pretty pink dress that'll go with my hair and eyes really well, but I can't decide on my nail polish! I was thinking pink, ya know, to go with the dress and all since it's pink, but what about silver? Silver goes with pink right? My friends say orange…but orange and pink totally clash, ya know? I need help here!

The Most Adorable and Popular Princess EVER!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Ami Wantanabe,

Ooh, that's a toughie. I really can't help you out there. But don't worry, if he asked you out, he won't have much taste anyway.

Your Friend, (Not really)

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Four Girls.

Four girls had done this to him in the span of twenty-four hours. It was unheard of. He, an Uchiha, should be able to hold up for himself! Defend himself! Take revenge!

Sadly, this was not the case.

Currently, it was lunch, and there were girls hovering everywhere in the vicinity. Can I go on a date? Will you take me on a date? There's a good restaurant opening across town, why don't you take me in your fancy little limo and we can make it a date? Would you like a date? I'm free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday…oh wait, not Sunday…but I would do anything for you Sasuke-kun…

_Get me some aspirin? _Sasuke thought. One more word out of these girls and he was seriously going to get violent or hurl. Honestly! Who was that desperate? Didn't they know that the boy was supposed to ask the woman out? That's how these things went. It has always been done that way. Always! The men went to work, brought home a nice fat paycheck for his wife and two kids, and they all went on vacations to Paris or Hawaii every summer. Okay, so the "wife and two kids" was taking it a little far…and maybe the girls had a right to be asking, since the boy's girlfriend count had been like nil throughout high-school. But hey, maybe if they wanted to be asked, they should quit being so **annoying**!

_Speaking _of annoying…he had to notice that the only girls who weren't over badgering him, were the same ones who had placed him in this predicament in the first place. Now, people like the Hyuuga girl he could deal with. She was shy, and didn't talk much, and didn't play mean jokes. Also, she was Neji's cousin, he would literally get his nose broken if he did something to her. _She_ was tolerable.

The person sitting next to her, however, was not.

Seriously, who had pink hair? It was like cotton candy pink. And she was way too happy for her own good; it's not healthy for people to be that happy. She needed a good shock once in awhile. Immediately prank ideas swam through his head and he was forced to squash them down or risk going over there and throwing her into a wall. His smaller good side told him that it wasn't her fault if she was born with pink hair, or that she had those big, viridian eyes that he really, really didn't want to admit he wanted to get a closer look at…

BAH! Where had that thought come from?

No, Haruno Sakura was the enemy!

He'd get his revenge, they shared Chemistry next period, he'd get her then…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

All throughout lunch, Sakura thought she felt eyes on her head. Which was completely ridiculous. No boys looked twice at her, except to do double takes at her hair, and the guy she imagined would be glaring at her was currently…uh…occupied.

The bell rang loudly, and everyone got up to go to their next class. The roseate haired girl inwardly grimaced, seeing as it was one of her two classes with the Uchiha, but brightened when she thought about how her three friends would be with her to protect her!

It dampened her mood when she also realized the Prince's three "lackeys" also had the class.

Oh boy.

So she journeyed to her locker, got her book, and walked over there with her group. They sat in the normal space, three steps up to the left, at the two person tables, and began chatting about absent things, wondering what their teacher would make them do today.

Gai-sensei walked into the classroom and everyone stood up in the formal greeting.

"Hello, my wonderful students of YOUTH!" His hand swept in a wide arc and sent two bottles on his desk rolling to the floor. The glass smashed on contact, and the two chemicals joined together in a reddish, purple mess. They sizzled, and began melting the floor beneath them, eventually creating a gaping hole. There were some screams from below, and some violent cursing from the teacher beneath them.

Some students were sniggering, the others had disbelieving stares…there was no way that this teacher could be _this_ much of a dork…

"Eh…" Gai blinked a few times. "Well, no harm done. No worries! Just…uh…don't walk around this area, ok?"

The class gave a collective sigh, all of them thinking, _You think, Sherlock?_

"Now, we will be working on a project, and I will pair you into pairs." Groans. "Now, now, last time you all picked your partners, the entire lab was blue and the EMS needed to be called in. Now here we go…Kiba Inuzuka and Ami Wantanabe…" A few more names were called before the moment of truth came:

"Hyuuga Neji and Tenten," Tenten immediately stiffened, and she looked like she was about to hurl a kunai straight through Gai-sensei's neck.

"Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino," Curses came out of Ino's mouth at an alarming rate…

"Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata," Hinata blushed slightly, and fidgeted with her fingers. She said nothing.

"And…"

_Please no, please no, please no, please no…_

"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura."

**NO!** Inner Sakura screamed. **IT'S NOT FAIR!**

"Now," Gai finished, "does anyone have a problem with the pairs?"

Sakura and Tenten's hands immediately shot into the air, Ino was to busy banging her head on the desk.

Gai shrugged, "Sorry ladies, anyone else and they'd be groped to death."

The hair on Sakura's neck stood on end. It felt like a smirk…but there was no way, no possible way, she could feel Uchiha Sasuke smirk from across the room. She wasn't about to confirm her suspicions either.

Gai assigned the tables they were supposed to go to, and it turned out it was one nearest the window. Sakura sat down first on the aisle seat, because it was only right across from where she was originally sitting. She slumped in her chair. Did someone hate her? Gai! Gai-sensei hated her! That was the reason, of course! How could she not have seen it sooner?

Her contemplating of tortures for her sensei was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, but the person had moved his head around to her other side.

"Payback, little blossom." Someone whispered in her ear. She turned towards the voice…to come literally nose-to-nose with her ultimate smirking enemy. She glared at him, but that only made his grin spread wider than before.

"Uchiha, take your seat please." Gai said impatiently.

And then Sasuke did something absolutely despicable.

He kissed her.

Granted it was light, and a little mocking, there was no doubt that his lips touched hers for an instant. He sat down, and she turned towards the front, a blush spreading across her cheeks. His fangirls were literally in absolute shock. Why would the _Prince_ kiss that…that dork! It's not fair!

Sakura, like the fangirls, was also in a state of absolute shock. A kiss. Her first kiss. And it had to be with that JERK!

Gai was, for once, speechless. "Well…er…okay…everyone turn to page 495 and we'll begin our…" he never got to finish.

"WHAT THE **HELL** WAS THAT!"

Everyone looked at Sakura. Top of her class, the one student that actually behaved, and the one that turned in all her homework on time and got the best marks in genjutsu, and here she was screaming at the _Prince_. She had been kissed, something that many girls would have liked to be done by the man in question, and it had been her first kiss. "Pissed off" was a mere understatement. Sakura was standing, towering above the calm-looking Uchiha, shaking in rage.

_If a boy tries to kiss you, I want you to kill him, okay?_

_Yes, Daddy!_

"**SHANNNARRROOOOO!"**

And then she managed to deck him across the face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Very well done, Sakura! I must applaud your excellent display of surprise tactics and strength! You really are a person of YOUTH!"

Guess who.

Sasuke was now sitting in his seat, a pack of ice against his cheek since Sakura refused to heal him at all costs. There was now a nice big dent on the wall by the window. Since she wasn't at all aiming, it was a miracle the Uchiha prodigy didn't go straight through the glass and fallen three stories.

Speaking of…

Said Uchiha prodigy was now glaring at her, along with most of the other female population in the classroom. Sakura's friends were sniggering, even Hinata. Neji was shaking his head, Shikamaru muttering constantly about troublesome women, and Naruto winced whenever his eyes passed over her. Gai was quite possibly the happiest for some unknown reason.

"Now everyone, turn to page 495 so we can begin…" He never got to finish that time either.

A student opened the door and looked at Sakura. "Miss Haruno, Tsunade-sama requests your presence immediately at the hospital!" Sakura nodded curtly, and then looked at Gai.

"Oh, go on." He waved her off.

She gathered her things quickly and left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura hadn't been seen in school at all that week. The incident happened on Monday, and now it was after school on Friday. The bruise on his cheek had been healing rapidly, and he had gotten a medic to make a trip to his house and heal it fully for him.

Ah, the wonders of money.

The same could not be said for Itachi, however, who kept jesting him about the incident. No, his brother couldn't be in a decent fight, so he had to pick one with a girl. How embarrassing!

Oh he _hated_ Itachi!

So Sasuke, ever active in working on his ninja skills, was heading over to the hospital for his yearly physical. It was the same thing every year, he went in, they said he was in excellent condition, and he left. The only reason they insisted he get one was so the nurses could look at his chest.

He walked into the hospital after locking his Porsche Carrera, and signed himself in. He was walking to the waiting room when a nurse literally rounded the corner and bumped into him.

She looked up, "I'm sorry, I didn't…" Her eyes got bigger. "You're Uchiha Sasuke."

He was about to ask, when he remembered that 1) everyone knew who he was, and 2) she was the same nurse that had walked in on him in Sakura's office after the "tomato incident."

"You know Sakura! Good!" Sasuke's eyebrow quirked at this. Know her, yes. Fond of her, no. "Look, you've got to do something. Her mom's out of town, and Tsunade was grateful for the extra help, but there has to be a way…"

Sasuke put a hand up to stop her. "What, exactly, is going on?"

The brunette ran her fingers through her hair. "I'll start from the beginning. A group of ANBU came back from a mission with a deadly sickness. They were immediately hospitalized and the only cure causes several hours of strain for any medic. Some nurses have gotten this illness, causing them unable to work. It's spreading, I swear it is, and it's just a matter of time before all of Konoha gets it.

"Sakura, the poor dear, is one of the best medics we have. She's already saved six of the fifteen infected. About three more are left, and we can take care of those, but she won't give up, she's so stubborn. This past week, she has gone to her house three times to shower, and that's all. The only sleep she gets is from quick naps in her office, and she's been popping soldier pills like candy!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, knock her out if you have to! Tsunade has relieved her of duty, and she needs her rest—"

"Ayumi!" It was then that Sakura came down the hall, three clipboards in hand, to which she was staring intently at. "I need a status report on number twelve, and scans need to be run on fourteen. And…what are you doing here?" She looked at Sasuke with narrowed eyes, her tone was clipped. Apparently she hadn't forgotten about the kiss.

Sasuke almost winced at her appearance. Ayumi wasn't kidding! She had dark rings under her eyes, her hair was slightly mussed, her complexion was paler than normal, and she was panting slightly from the strain. If ever in his life he felt bad for someone, it was now. There was no way this could be good for anyone!

Taking the clipboards from her superior's hands, Ayumi gave him one last pointed look before she walked out of sight.

"Again, what are you doing here?"

"Sakura…"

"What did she tell you?" She narrowed her eyes further. "Look, I'm perfectly fine! I'll do cartwheels if you want."

"Sakura…" While hers was short, his tone resembled a deep rumble in his chest.

"I'm not going to just go home while these people lay here dying. Look, I'm not going to discuss this with you." She started to walk away, but he was in front of her in an instant. Her teeth clenched. "Get out of my way."

"No." And with two fingers, he turned her face towards his.

"Sasuke." His eyes were boring into hers, it was making her want to flinch back.

"Shh." Sasuke's eyes changed to crimson, and the three commas of the Sharingan swirled in a hypnotic effect.

Sakura felt herself detach from the world, and the last thing she saw was the floor tilting underneath her before she was caught in two strong arms.

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**Author's Notes**: Sorry the chapter was a little short, and sorry for the wait. Reviews were going slow, so I was surprised when they all the sudden started flooding into my Inbox! Thanks to everyone!


	6. Like A Bolt From the Blue

**Author's Notes: **No author's notes. Just read the chapter, you'll love it, I promise! Hapy Labor Day!

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 5: Like A Bolt From the Blue

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Dear Annie,

I saw my boyfriend at the mall kissing another woman! What should I do?

Weeping Willow

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Dear Weeping Willow

Punch his lights out. Or, calmly confront him, and then punch his lights out.

Your Friend,

Annie

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Sakura groaned, and turned over in the bed. It was a nice bed. It was comfy. The pillows smelled freshly laundered, and the sheets were smooth cotton. Correction: very, _very_ nice bed. There was only one thing that was wrong. It wasn't her bed. Her mattress was worn from use, and she hadn't gotten around to doing laundry lately. Besides, this bed lacked the loving familiarity of her own bed.

When she opened her eyes, she nearly screamed.

The room was decorated in varying shades of purple, and it was quite large. Larger than her own room by three times, perhaps. It had a walk-in closet, and an attached bathroom. The bed wasn't a canopy, but there was a drape of lavender silk above the headboard. A huge bay window was covered by a see-through material, and there was a homey looking table and chairs with a teddy bear sitting on top. Of all the questions running through her mind, she decided to pick one.

Where was she?

She wasn't at her own house, she knew that for a fact, and she wasn't at any of her friend's houses, either. She sat up and leaned against the headboard. Come to think of it, why wasn't she at work? She was working overtime, and then she had bumped into…

Sakura's eyes narrowed, and she hissed out, "_Uchiha_."

She jumped out of the bed, went over to what she presumed was the door to the hall, and pushed it open. No, that was the closet. Thank goodness it was empty, she would have freaked if she thought she was staying in someone else's room. She turned to the door to her right, and turned a fancy, curved knob.

Nothing.

She tried again, and again, but it was no use. She was locked inside.

Out of pure fury, she began pounding on the door, only to lean against it and sink to the floor. Why would he lock her inside? It made no sense. The door had no keyhole, and nothing to twist. It was just smooth brass without a knick and no fingerprints except her own. The only way she could get to the other side was by breaking the—

Hey, there's an idea.

Sakura closed her eyes to gather chakra, but, to her astonishment, she couldn't. She had little left because of all the soldiers she had to heal at the hospital. Finally, she admitted it. She was completely drained. She would have to wait here in this room like a damsel until the evil prison guard let her go.

Going over to the bed once more, she noticed something that had eluded her. A note. It was written on paper that was of very nice quality, and the pen strokes were neat. She had to give him points on his handwriting, she rather liked it…not that she would admit it out loud in a million years…but still.

_Sakura,_

_In case you haven't noticed, you're in my house. You may take a shower, watch TV, listen to music, etc. but do not, I repeat NOT, leave this room. I don't care if you break down the door, I will find you and there will be…consequences. I'll come for you when I want to, so don't ask. If you get hungry, there's a refrigerator in the kitchenette. Try not to scream and bother the maids, they don't take too kindly to pests._

_Sasuke_

**Who does he think he _is_, telling me what I can and can't do?**

Sakura, gave an unladylike snort, thoroughly agreeing with her inner self. She'd scream if she wanted to, she'd eat all the food in that stupid refrigerator, blast the TV and the stereo, and take a nice long shower.

**And use up all the hot water! This is kidnapping and imprisonment I tell you! This is illegal!**

Throwing down the note, she stomped into the one door she hadn't tried, and stopped short. The bathroom was decorated in white and lavender marble, with a polished marble floor. A counter with two sinks backed up to a wall-length mirror, and the bath in a far corner was caddy-corner, with unlit purple candles around it, and a wide variety of bubble bath scents. On the two walls behind the bathtub, there were two frosted glass windows that let in a generous amount of light.

The shower was imbedded into a wall, and it was huge. She guessed she could lay down comfortably in it, or sit on a built in marble bench and shave her legs. Another door let to the toilet, and she thought that was all until she rounded the corner and saw stairs. Who needed stairs in a bathroom? Granted, it was only like three steps and they extended almost wall-to-wall in a graceful arc, but she thought it was a little extravagant. Gone here were the marble floors. Instead it had plush white carpet, and two comfortable looking, dark purple chairs that faced a clear, glass window that took up a whole wall. The most notable feature, she observed, was an aquarium that took up the entire right wall, with seven koi fish swimming in it, and on the other wall was a fireplace.

Sakura walked towards the window and looked out. It was a beautiful courtyard, with two tall dogwood trees and a pond beneath them. There were different colored flowers surrounding a rock pathway, and a few scattered benches here and there. Blocking her view from she rest of the world was another wing of the house. She did a double take, and discovered there were three stories in all, probably not including a basement.

She turned and saw the kitchenette, with coffee and tea, and a small refrigerator under the rod iron table. She opened the door and sighed. It was filled to the brim with sweets. It was like they knew she was coming.

Still, she had to put off her previous venture of emptying the fridge. She couldn't possibly eat all of it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Smelling like her namesake, Sakura walked out of the bathroom. She had eaten everything she wanted from the kitchenette, and it still looked like it hadn't even made a dent. Back in the room, she had gone through the chest of drawers and had come across underwear, thank goodness, and a variety of silk nighties with spaghetti straps and lace trimming the bottom. She decided on a silver one with white lace. Unfortunately, it came to mid-thigh. Too short without anything underneath, she lamented. It would have to do, since she now couldn't find her old clothes and there was nothing else but towels and a bed sheet.

Half an hour later, she was bored out of her mind, and decided to try the door again.

**I'm a kunoichi! A shinobi! I can do this!**

Trying the lock again, and finding it still in the same predicament, she looked around for something she could use. Five minutes later, a magnet to a local coffee shop was in her hand. It was flat and stiff and perfect for lock picking. She wedged it in between the door and jam, and a few seconds later she got it open, silently thanking Tsunade for teaching her tricks to get out of enemy thresholds.

Even the hallways were elegant. She wandered around for a bit, passed the same picture three times, and finally found stairs leading down. Tugging her dress, she descended.

After getting lost innumerable times, she wound up at two stainless steel doors. Opening them, she found herself to be in the kitchen, with many eyes trained onto her.

"Excuse me," A man with a heavy French accent came up to her. "Who are you and what are you doing in ze Uchiha's?"

"I'm Sasuke's…uh…" **Prisoner.**

"She's with me." A new voice cut into the conversation. Sakura stiffened, and the chef bowed.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama, excuse me for being so rude to your guest."

Sakura whirled around, and met the coal black eyes of Uchiha Itachi.

Mentally, she was glad it wasn't Sasuke. She didn't want his "consequences". In reality, she was a little afraid of him.

"Sit." Ah, déjà vu. They sat on barstools, and immediately a bowl of fruit with honey was set in front of her.

Beginning to talk about the success of the prank, they continued on until the topic landed on the Uchihas little brother. Sakura was telling him that she had been locked in a room for the day, and when he asked what it looked like, she told him. Surprisingly, his smirk got wider, until it could probably be classified as a very evil smile. He told her that the room she was in was just down the hall from Sasuke's, and that she was lucky she wasn't caught.

Sakura scoffed, and said that she was a kunoichi.

Two arms planted themselves on the counter on either side of her, and hot breath cascaded across her ear. "A kunoichi who apparently can't read."

Sakura went rigid at the voice, and turned around slowly. She didn't even hear him open the door! "Um…hi?" Now nose-to-nose with the playboy, she blushed a thousand different shades of red. His black eyes held something intimidating, and she backed away a fraction of an inch.

"I thought I told you to stay in the room."

At that, she narrowed her eyes. "You can't imprison me here and tell me what to do!"

He sighed in a tired manner, as if trying to tell an obsessed child that he was not, in fact, Superman. "You need your rest, your chakra levels are still dangerously low."

"Says you! I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much."

"And that's exactly what you said before you fell asleep for two days."

"Two days!"

"No, not really." He winked at her—which made her blush again—and then got serious. "However, I am going to have to request that you return to that recuperative sleep." His eyes were fading to crimson again. She had to think fast. She'd normally be able to minimally fight off the Sharingan, but not with her chakra practically diminished.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't you dare…" Rapidly looking away when his eyes began to swirl. He brought his hand up and tugged her chin in his direction. With one single look she was out, and she collapsed, unconscious, onto his chest.

Sasuke picked her up, and began to walk out.

"Brother." Sasuke stopped, and turned his head to his older sibling. "For once I approve of your choice." Sasuke smirked, and moved his eyes down to the bundle in his arms. "You do realize, of course, that the room you locked her in was to be reserved for your fiancée?"

Sasuke, still smirking in the famous Uchiha fashion, turned back to Itachi. "Did I now?" He turned away and left.

Itachi smiled, and shook his head lightly. "Little brother…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When Sakura woke up again, she felt better rested. She was warm and comfortable. There was the comforting feeling that someone was stroking her hair, but she shoved that thought away. She moaned and turned over, and everything changed.

All she could think of was that the Uchiha's could afford heated pillows. They smelled nice, too. Sort of like maple and spice. She'd have to ask the maids what kind of detergent they used. It smelled awfully nice.

Dreamily, she sighed, and said pillow chuckled.

Her eyes snapped open to meet a very naked chest. When she blushed and gulped after noticing how well chiseled it was—was that a six-pack?—she began to look upwards, and her startled green met amused onyx. Sasuke was propped up on his elbow, just watching her.

She jumped away so fast it probably gave her whiplash. Somehow, she jumped and rolled so that now she was dazed on the floor. She looked up to see Sasuke peering down at her.

"Nice gown."

She looked down, and noticed the stupid thing had come considerably higher. She tugged it down as far as it would go, and gave a "hmph!" turning away from him.

Strong arms were pulling her back up. She gave a "Hey! Let me go!" and he did…

…right on top of him.

Inches from his face was not where she wanted to be, so she began to ease off, but was stopped by two arms around her mid-section. Sakura put two hands on her molester's shoulders and gave him a defiant look. "Let me go."

"Will you go to sleep?"

"Hell no! I'm gonna get as far away from here as possible!"

"Then I'm afraid that I can't release you." She tried to squirm out of his grasp, only to receive a stern look. "I _will_ use my Sharingan if I have to."

"Don't you think that's cheapening it a bit?"

"That's what it's there for."

"This is kidnapping. I'll have you arrested."

"Actually, it's already been cleared with Tsunade."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. "Tsunade-sama told you to do this?"

"She told me to make sure you got your rest, no matter what the cost."

"So you slept with me?"

"In a purely platonic way, yes." Sasuke recognized the look on her face. "What, you've never slept with a man before?" He teased.

"Of course I haven't! Don't be ridiculous!" Her eyes narrowed as the words of his last comment sunk in. "Did you take advantage of me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why is it that women always jump to _that _conclusion?"

"What am I supposed to think when I wake up in bed with _you _of all people? You have no idea how many rape victims I've had to deal with. Konoha isn't as peaceful as people want it to be."

"Calm down, Sakura." She was going to rant her way into a coma.

"You egotistical jerk! You selfish, conceited, son of a—" She never got to finish. He had rolled his eyes near the end of it, put a hand on the back of her neck, and had pulled her mouth onto his.

Well, it certainly shut her up.

In fact, she was too stunned to speak. She had to admit, he was an excellent kisser. Probably from years of experience, she thought dryly. Their first kiss had just been a peck on the lips. This was something so much more. Sakura had to restrain herself from moaning. No wonder girls flocked to him! She felt her knees go weak, and he released her.

While she was panting, heart thudding against her ribcage, he looked perfectly normal. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Trying again, she managed to say, "What…?" She almost winced, as her voice came out sounding weak and scared.

"You needed to calm down."

He noticed she was trembling slightly, so he laid her down next to him and pulled her close, spooning her and tucking her in.

"I…"

"Shh."

"But…I…" The poor thing was still speechless.

Good thing her speechlessness was cured by Naruto! Who rudely opened the door without knocking. "Hey, Sasuke-teme! You told me to just come…"

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice rumbled out. Sakura felt it against her back and shivered.

It was then that the blonde noticed the situation, and his cerulean eyes widened. "Um…right, then…I'll just leave you two alone." He turned tail and left as quickly as possible.

Sakura, who had been blushing from unadulterated embarrassment, now growled.

"**NARUTO!**"

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**Author's Notes: **Ha! Finally some fluff! I particularly liked this chapter. Maybe it's that cavity you get when writing sweet things like that, but hey, it was worth it. I can prove that Sasuke is cold-hearted, but he really does care about something he's devoted to. Aww! Yay!


	7. Triple Nightmare Sequence

**Author's Notes:** So many reviews! I feel loved! Yay!

I got a Private Message from **kawaii chibi sasuke luver **asking me why I put the "Dear Annie" column at the beginning of every chapter if it has absolutely nothing to do with the story. Here's the answer. It shows that Sakura works for the paper, where she can put in small favors like writing embarrassing articles and asking favors from Shino. Otherwise, it has nothing to do with the chapters and I just put it there for fun. Reason three is because I like giving advice, and I try to asses real problems that teens in high school face, I should know, being one of them. Hope that answers your question.

Also, a shout out to **UchihaSakura87**, who sent me a very nice PM. I love all of my Private Messages, and this one was so sweet. Thank you and **Hyuuga Ayame** for reading! I really do appreciate it, and I especially appreciate the PM. Author's love knowing their work makes someone happy!

**Warning: **This chapter is **not like my other chapters**. It has, like the name suggests, nightmares. Not too graphic ones, but I don't want anyone complaining that this chapter goes away from my plot. Actually, this chapter helps along the plot, which you will later see in the next chapter. I know! Gasp! My high school story actually has a plot! Amazing!

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 7: Triple Nightmare Sequence

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Dear Annie,

There is this girl at school that is always picked on. I really don't know why, because she's really nice and pretty. I want to go talk to her, but my friends are always the ones making fun of her, and I'd lose all reputation if I befriended her. If I let a nasty comment about her slip, I feel awful immediately afterwards. I know I'm just encouraging my friend's behaviors, but I don't know what to do. Help me, please?

Regretful

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Dear Regretful,

If your friends pick on her, then you probably haven't picked the best of friends. No offense. You should try to get to know the girl, regardless of what your friends think. They shouldn't dictate your life. You'll really make the girl's day by becoming her friend. From your description, it sounds like she could really use one. Introduce her to your other friends, too, and they might not think she's that bad once they get to know her. Hope this helps.

Your Friend,

Annie

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_Hyuuga Hinata was running from a foe she couldn't see. She had already attempted her Byakugan, to locate her pursuer, only to find it useless. She couldn't use her bloodline limit. Not for the first time in her life, Hinata was afraid._

_So she kept running._

_Her lungs were screaming for air, and her legs were burning, but she couldn't stop. If she stopped, they would catch up to her, and she'd die. She wasn't even sure where she was running at all. It looked like a silhouetted forest, with trees that bended and scraped at her arms. The path was rocky and uneven, making her trip and struggle to regain balance._

_She spotted a light ahead. A way out! She ran harder, feeling the thing behind her catching up. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't stop no matter what, but as she broke into that clearing, it was the first thing she did._

"_F-Father?" She rasped out._

_Hiashi stood in front of her, a stern look on his face. "You couldn't save them. You weren't strong enough."_

"_I don't understand…"_

_It was at that point that her father gave a cry of mortal pain, and fell forward. Behind him, was a hooded figure in black robes. The face wasn't distinguishable. _

_Hinata blinked, and suddenly everything was covered in blood, including herself. She looked at the ground to see all of her friends—Sakura, Tenten, Ino—face up, eyes wide, and mouth open in a muted scream. They had been stabbed straight through the heart, and had multiple slash wounds. It was a gruesome sight to behold. _

_A little ways away, was, surprisingly, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Naruto. All of them dead. This put her absolutely over the edge. Hinata was dry sobbing, no tears coming out, no sound being made. The black figure was just standing there. _

_Her mind realized something, where was Neji? Where was her cousin? Did he escape? Was he all right?_

_A bloody hand fell upon her shoulder and she screamed and whirled around. The color drained from her face as she saw eyes as white as hers, staring back at her blankly._

"_N-Neji?" Hinata asked timidly._

"_You weren't strong enough." Neji told her. "You couldn't save us." Then he collapsed right on top of her, his weight crushing her. She looked up to see the ominous figure looming over her. Pushing off her cousin, she was on her knees facing the attacker. Somehow, she just couldn't find the strength to get up._

"_Who are you?" She yelled. "What do you want?"_

"_You weren't strong enough. It's all your fault." The figure told her. The voice was so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "You couldn't save them, and now everyone you care for is dead. All because of you. Your weakness killed them. It's almost safe to say…YOU killed them."_

_Hinata clapped her hands over her ears. "Stop!"_

"_Face it, Hyuuga, you're a murderer…and now you're all alone."_

"_Stop it! You don't know a thing about me!" She screamed. _

"_Don't know a thing about you? You stupid little girl." The figure pulled off the hood and Hinata gaped. "I **am** you."_

_Suddenly, Hinata found herself staring into the white eyes. Eyes that only belonged to Hyuuga Hinata. She was staring at a mirror image of herself._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Neji's eyes snapped open. How strange, it was only about three in the morning, he shouldn't have to wake up for another two hours. What had woken him?

The prodigy did a quick scan with his chakra. Odd, there were no intruders on the compound, and no one that shouldn't have been there. Actually, there was one of the maids coming down his wing of the hall. He could sense she was nervous. She was coming toward his door.

Neji got out of bed and opened the door while her hand was still poised to knock. She blushed, as he was shirtless, and bowed in respect. "I'm sorry if I woke you, Neji-sama. I came here on the orders of Hinata-sama." At Neji's raised eyebrows, she continued. "She woke up screaming and crying and refuses to tell any of the maids what was wrong. She said she only wanted to see you."

Proclaimed genius nodded, and began to walk to his little cousin's room. He didn't bother to put on a shirt, pants were acceptable enough. Hinata had seen him shirtless during training anyway so no biggie there. He figured out her scream must have woken him.

He reached her room, hearing slight sobs coming from inside the closed door, and he knocked gently. "Hinata?" He called out. She opened the door and immediately hugged him, crying into his chest. He had to brace himself from the ferocity she had barreled into him, and made a mental note to remember that she was stronger than she let on.

Neji wrapped his arms around her and set his chin on top of her head, just letting her cry there.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Haruno Sakura walked into school on Monday in a foul mood. She was still ticked off about the whole incident with Sasuke. Just remembering waking up in his bed made her blush a thousand different shades of red!

A hand closed around her waist and pulled her to a hard body. Immediately, she saw women turn to give her scathing looks and whisper threats. She didn't have to look up to know it was her number one enemy.

"I guess nothing short of a kunai through the gut would make you let go of me?" Sakura hissed.

"You guess right." Sasuke leaned down close to her ear and whispered. "The payback is only beginning, little blossom."

"The only revenge I can see right now is me having to actually touch you. I'll probably get some disease."

He laughed, and the breath from his mouth went directly into her ear, making her shiver. "You need to look further, _Sakura_." Now honestly, did he have to say her name like…like _that_? Her hormones were overloaded at the moment! "When everyone sees me with you, they'll assume I'm _with_ you." Oh…_oh_… "Not only do you get the wrath of my fangirls, I get all those women who are trying to ask me out—because of your article, I might add—off my back."

"So any way you look at it…I'm S.O.L.?" Sakura asked.

He shrugged, "Pretty much."

She was just about to retort in a manner that would have mother's covering their children's ears, but she spotted someone by her locker. Hinata had her forehead against it, her shoulders shaking slightly, and Ino and Tenten consoling her about something.

"Hinata…?" Sakura asked, more to herself than anyone. She brushed Sasuke aside and moved to Hinata's side, only to be enveloped in a hug that nearly knocked her off her feet.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Neji had explained what had happened to Hinata the night before at lunch. Naruto was genuinely worried. Inwardly, Neji was too, he just didn't want to show it. He couldn't remember the last time Hinata had been this bothered by a nightmare. In fact, there wasn't ever a time she's been this bothered by a nightmare. It must have really gotten to her.

The four girls were gone from their normal spot, probably outside consoling the Hyuuga.

The next class was Chemistry, the one all eight of them shared together. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten walked in and took their normal seats. Ino was bickering with Shikamaru about something, and Sakura was having an exchange of certain words with her own partner.

He waited…and waited…and waited…but his cousin still did not show up. Naruto looked around confused, his partner wasn't there. Neji entertained the idea that she had skipped, but that was utterly ridiculous. She was Hinata, after all. Hinata never skipped.

The class ended quickly, and he went to his last class and then returned to the Hyuuga compound. He drove his sports car into the garage and walked past the training grounds to get to his room to quickly do his homework and return to said training grounds to workout.

He passed by the grounds…and did an immediate double take.

Hinata was there, she was drenched in sweat, her arm was extended, and she was panting slightly. Her Byakugan was activated, so he knew she knew he was there. Hiashi was watching her train while sitting on the porch drinking tea. Likely, he was giving her pointers on how to better perfect her movements, but at the moment, Neji's uncle didn't look critical like he normally did. Hiashi seemed to always have something to say about his daughter's ability. Today was not the case. For the first time, Hiashi looked impressed.

Wait a minute…Hyuuga Hinata had skipped class…to _train_?

Now he definitely knew that something was wrong.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_A small girl with chocolate brown eyes sat at a bar in her apartment, watching her mother cook something. Her dark brown hair was gathered atop her head in two messy buns. Her mother, with only one bun in the back of her head keeping her hair up, flipped a pancake and the girl laughed. _

_Somehow she knew that this woman was making her dinner. You might even ask why they were having pancakes for dinner, but that answer was simple. Pancake mix was cheap. The girl and her mother were poor. That could be said by looking around the apartment they shared. _

_The bedroom her mother slept in was small, only big enough for a double bed. The closet was packed with both of their clothes. There was one bathroom that only held the basic necessities. You could not find any sweet smelling soaps or brand name toothpastes. There were no rugs in any part of the house, and the only photo was in the living room tacked to the wall, not even framed. _

_The couch, where the girl slept, was lumpy, but it held a sense of familiarity. The couch and one beaten up lounge chair surrounded an old black and white television that her mother had managed to dig out of someone's trash. _

_Even though her surroundings were bad, it was times like this when she loved to be with her mother. It didn't matter their state of living, this was when she was the happiest. _

_Her mother was a retired ANBU officer. This confused the little girl. Weren't retired people old? Her mother was only twenty-two, the little girl was four. Whenever she asked about it, or why she didn't have a father, her mother would change the subject._

_Her mother set a plate of pancakes down with fresh peaches on top. It was as close as they got to syrup. The little girl loved peaches._

"_Eat up, Tenten." Her mother told her. _

_Tenten frowned, her mother didn't make herself any. "You too Mommy!" Tenten told her, and pushed her fork into her mother's hand._

"_Alright." She popped a peach into her mouth. "The peach crop was very good this year. Try some."_

_Tenten began to eat, and found that her mother was right. This was a moment that she always wanted to last. This happiness she felt now._

_However, all good things must end._

_The door was yanked completely off his hinges and intruders from another village came inside. Tenten's mother pulled her daughter behind her, and pulled out a kunai. "What do you want?" She demanded._

_One out of the three pulled out a scroll. "You are hereby arrested for the assault and rape of the Prince of the Country of Apricots. You are to come with us to await your trial and punishment."_

_Her mother's brown eyes flashed angrily. "Excuse me? Maybe you didn't get the whole story…**he** raped **me**!"_

_The official narrowed his eyes. "Are you calling our prince a liar?"_

"_Yes, as a matter of fact, I am!"_

"_Grab her."_

_Tenten's mother fought valiantly, but in the end it was still three-to-one. One man knocked her out, and another turned his attention to her when she yelled for her mother. _

"_This is the Prince's daughter?" He cursed. "He won't be happy about that."_

_The third man walked up to her and, without any kind of mercy, slammed the butt of his kunai into her temple._

_When the little girl woke up, her apartment that she loved was engulfed in flames. Quickly, she jumped up and snatched the picture off the wall, effectively giving it a good tear at the top. She pushed it under the waistline of her pants and ran into her mother's room. The fire escape! She'd get down like that!_

_Her mother had taught her how to be a quick thinker._

_Tenten's eyes welled up with tears at the thought. She panicked. What if her mother was in there? What if she was hurt? The girl opened the door and flames shot out at her. She screamed as her shirt caught on fire. She rolled around on the carpet and effectively put it out. Her belly hurt now, and it was a sickening shade of red with blisters popping out at her. _

_The fire was coming closer, and without thinking she broke the glass on the window with her fist. It was bleeding now, and she crawled through the window, scraping herself on glass edges. The feel of fire burning her back made her lose her balance on the landing. There was no railing, so she plummeted to the ground, only to land on the hard top of a dumpster, denting it permanently, and effectively putting her out._

_When she woke the second time. She was in an orphanage. A nurse came in and told her that her apartment was completely destroyed, and her mother was dead._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tenten screamed.

She sat up, drenched in cold sweat, tears running down her face. She was in her own bed, in her own apartment. It had been just a dream…a nightmare.

She wrenched the covers off of her and ran into her kitchen, flipping on the light switch without any regard for her eyes. Tenten ran to her junk drawer, pulling things out and throwing them all over the floor. She didn't care if she had to pick it up later. She only needed to find _it_.

And there it was, at the very bottom. She picked up the photo with shaky hands, turned it over to see the picture, and immediately burst into tears again. She slid down her cabinets, held the image close to her, and cried for the rest of the night.

It was the same picture her dream remembered it as. Her and her mother in front of the apartment they used to own. Both were smiling, and her mother had Tenten in her arms. It was the same old picture she loved to look at despite the burnt edges and slight tear at the very top. Tonight, though, Tenten couldn't find the heart to smile with them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was lunch, and the girls were once again gone. This time, none of the four boys knew what was happening. Shikamaru told them that he had an earlier class with Tenten, and she had been acting strangely. She had broken two pencils because of a fierce grip, and she hadn't said a word at all. She didn't smile once, and she looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

When Chemistry came around, Neji walked into the class to find Tenten already at her seat. Today was nothing but notes on their project, and she had already gotten out a sheet of paper for note taking.

Neji almost winced.

She did look tired, though the dark circles weren't as noticeable through the make-up. Tenten didn't look herself at all. She didn't talk with her friends before class, and she didn't even acknowledge him when he sat down next to her. Most people wouldn't be able to detect it, but her hands were shaking slightly. Hinata wasn't laughing at Naruto, Sakura wasn't responding to Sasuke's taunts, and even Ino didn't make a sound when Shikamaru said a derogative remark about the female race.

What was going on?

Soon, he found himself so immersed in notes that he could only spare a quick thought about his partner's behavior. At the end of class, he looked over to her to find her staring down at a blank sheet of paper. She hadn't written a single thing.

Neji couldn't have known however, that the first thing Tenten did when she got home was she made pancakes with peaches, and cried during the entire process.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Haruno Sakura was laughing. She was carrying heavy baskets full of groceries, but she was laughing. Heads turned their way, some to say hello, some to do a double take on the pink hair Sakura shared with her mother. Her mother had given her that hair, after all. Not her eyes though, Mrs. Haruno's eyes were blue._

_Sakura skipped home and her mother called for her not to get too much ahead. She complied. They reached their home. It was the same home Sakura had always lived in. She loved it a lot. She especially loved the balcony in her room. It gave her a nice view of the Hokage Mountain._

_They went inside, and Sakura's mother began to make rice and fish for dinner. Meanwhile, Sakura was at the kitchen table doing her homework. It was math. She didn't like math. Multiplication tables. Yuck._

"_I don't like math." She told her mother._

_Her mother smiled back at her. "No one does, but you want to become a shinobi, don't you?" Sakura nodded. "Well then, math is important. It could save your life."_

_Sakura was just wondering why someone else couldn't do the math to save her life, it would be a lot less work._

_Mrs. Haruno turned away from her eight-year-old daughter to resume dinner. About fifteen minutes later, Sakura announced she was finished with her 100 multiplication problems. Wiping her hands on a dishtowel, her mother sat next to her to check her answers. All of them were right. _

_Mrs. Haruno hugged her daughter. "I'm so proud of you Sakura…You're my smart little girl."_

_Pulling away a little bit, Sakura looked into her mother's eyes. "Is Daddy proud of me, Mama?"_

_Her mother blinked for a moment, and swallowed before continuing. "Of course he is, sweetie, Daddy is very proud."_

_The front door opened, and slammed shut. Mrs. Haruno winced slightly before turning to the man that walked into the kitchen. "Hello, darling." She greeted. "How was work…"_

"_Shut up."_

_Sakura shrank at the voice, her father was in a bad mood. She hated when he was in a bad mood. She hated when he was here at all. _

"_Where's dinner?" He demanded. _

"_Well, it's almost ready."_

_Her father sighed impatiently and sat down at the table. "You stupid woman, why can't you make it on time?"_

"_Well, you always get home at a different time so…"_

_He narrowed his eyes. "The more you talk the slower it gets done." When she turned back to the stove, he looked down at his daughter's homework. "Why do they give you such ridiculous problems? No daughter of mine should be this stupid." Sakura wasn't about to say that she found the problems kind of hard. "Let me give you some advice. Don't bother with it, you'll never need it after school."_

"_But, if I want to become a shinobi…"_

_Her father laughed. "You? A shinobi? Oh that's priceless. You'll never amount to anything much less a shinobi. All ninjas do are kill people, you couldn't hurt anyone if you **tried**."_

_Sakura was angry. She wanted to be a kunoichi! "Shut up!" She screamed. "I will be a shinobi! I'll prove you wrong, I promise! I'll be the best kunoichi! The best!" It was only after she had calmed down that the little girl froze. Oh no…what had she done! Even Mrs. Haruno had eyes wide in comical horror._

_Her father turned to her, his green eyes menacing. "Do you have any idea who you're mouthing off to?" He asked._

_Suddenly, her mother was between them. "She didn't mean it! It's my fault…"_

"_Be quiet woman!" Harshly, he shoved his wife aside and picked his offspring up by the neck. "She needs to be taught a lesson." Her mother was fighting him now. He decided that two women were too much a nuisance, so he threw Sakura into the living room, where her head collided with the corner of the coffee table, and the world faded to black around her. _

_Sakura was her current age now, she was older, with shorter hair and a higher reputation in the ninja world. She looked around her, but everything was black. It was like the universe, without any stars or planets. _

_Footfalls were heard behind her, and Sakura turned around. The figure was clapping slowly now, and when she recognized him, her body tensed. Black hair, the same viridian eyes she had inherited. It could only be one man. He gave a mocking smile._

"_Hello, Sakura."_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Haruno Sakura woke up gasping for air, sobbing, with nothing coming out. When she finally found the strength to scream, no one came to her rescue.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Wow, long chapter! Hope you guys liked it! I loved exploring Neji's character in this one. He's such a hard character to predict, though! I might take Tenten's nightmare and turn it into a Neji/Tenten oneshot. Maybe, maybe not. I'll have to decide. Don't worry, it won't be AU.


	8. Hello, Sakura

**Author's Notes**: Ha! Don't you just love plot twists? I realize some of you were confused by the last chapter, so I hope to make it up with this one. Trust me, it will help, I promise!

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 8: Hello, Sakura

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Dear Annie,

I feel like everything that could go wrong, does. My grades are slipping, my parents are getting divorced…I just don't know what to do! Recently, I believe I've fallen into depression, and nothing anyone does works. My mind just keeps working every minute and I can never catch a break. Help.

Devastated

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Devastated,

A lot of us experience problems throughout our life, and we feel as if we'll never move on. Eventually, we do and everything will be just fine. In the meantime, however, take walks in the park, listen to music, do whatever you can to get your troubles off your mind. Not saying that ignoring them makes them go away, all I'm saying is that once you've had a time away from the problem, you are able to view it from a different perspective. For your grades, don't be afraid to ask for help. We all have troubles with grades, and if you think you can do it all yourself, you're just going to keep slipping. Don't be ashamed, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was at lunch on Wednesday. Thankfully, no one had been crying, and no one had a mental breakdown by something they had seen in their dreams. The mood was great, which was a surprise since two of four girls had already had nightmares that shattered their world a couple of nights before.

Hinata had looked at all of them with a determined face, and told them that she was going to make a hard effort to get stronger. She was even going to put all shyness aside and ask to train with Neji. The girls shuddered at this. Neji wouldn't go easy on her, and she realized that, Hinata was even looking forward to it. The only bad part was, if any of his fangirls found out that she was training with Neji…a _shirtless_ Neji…they might have to do some protecting of the quietest member of the group…

"Tenten?" Ino asked.

Tenten looked up from her plate. "I'm okay, it was all in the past and it can't be changed. The dream just caught me by surprise is all." Her hands were still slightly shaky, and she looked paler than usual, but Tenten was a strong woman. She'd come out the other end smiling like nobody's business.

Ino looked over to Sakura, who had been quiet since they arrived at school this morning. She hadn't eaten at all, she had just been pushing food absently on the Styrofoam tray. Besides the obvious, Ino knew that something was wrong. Very wrong.

Yamanaka Ino had known the girl since they were four. Over that time, she had learned Sakura's certain quirks, had a few confrontations with her "inner self", and she had also learned what had caused that inner self to form…

Strength to match beauty. When Ino had found her, Sakura had desperately needed that strength…

"I had a dream last night…" Sakura began quietly. She sounded hesitant.

"Oh really?" Ino asked cheerfully. "About what?" Please, _please_ don't let it be…

"About _him_."

The table immediately stilled.

The single sound of someone exhaling brought into to her senses. The blonde immediately stood up. "We need to go tell Tsunade."

"Ino, sit down." Sakura hissed.

Ino sat down, but leaned across the table. "Don't order me around! Do you remember the last time you dreamed about him? Do you remember what happened then?"

Sakura's eyes snapped up. Unconsciously, Ino backed away. She had no idea how much her eyes looked like _his_ right now. "Don't you dare bring that up."

"Do you need me to remind you?"

"Ino…" Tenten warned. She was going too far.

"Fine, I'll remind you. Last time you dreamed about him, he—"

"Shut your mouth before I break your jaw." Ino stopped, and really looked at her best friend. Her eyes conveyed the deepest hatred, but Ino got the feeling it wasn't directed at her. If Ino had learned one thing, it was that Sakura's eyed betrayed her emotions. "I should have never told you anything…" She whispered.

"Sakura." Ino winced. She had brought up a very touchy subject. "I'm sorry."

Sakura suddenly looked up with a weak smile. "It's all right. I'm over it." She still saw Ino's look of worry. "Relax, I promise I'll go see Tsunade later, okay?" That was a lie, but Ino nodded anyway.

The roseate haired girl was just too preoccupied to feel the dark eyes boring into her back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He had been looking over at her. Sasuke didn't know why, but she hadn't left his mind since she had spent the night at his house. His fingers twitched at the idea of touching her again, and he didn't want to kiss her at the moment. All he wanted to do was _hold_ her. Mentally, he snapped his fingers in realization, it was lust! Had to be!

So why was he so worried about her right now?

This was the first time he had seen her today, and she looked unlike her normal self. For one, she wasn't bouncing of the walls in sugar-high fashion, and two, she hadn't eaten at all. Very unlike her.

The Uchiha also noticed that Neji was somewhat relieved as well. White pupil-less eyes facing in the same direction, his expression immediately softened when he saw his cousin smile. Upon further notice, it also seemed that the Hyuuga's chem. partner looked a lot better as well.

Sakura, however, was a different story.

Her back was towards him, so he didn't realize she had said something until Ino and Hinata's eyes—Tenten also had her back turned—widened. Ino abruptly stood up, and he read off of her lips "We need to go tell Tsunade." Why would they want to tell the Hokage something? It could have been about Sakura's medical training for all he knew, but it seemed more than that.

Ino sat down again, and leaned across the table. She and Sakura seemed to be hissing comments to each other, and Hinata looked somewhat alarmed. Suddenly, Ino backed off a fraction of an inch, her eyes staring into Sakura's. Beneath a determined exterior, the blonde looked downright scared.

_Now_ he was interested.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura shook off any feelings of sadness she had at the moment. She couldn't show weakness here. The roseate haired girl was the strong pillar that offered support when needed, and was automatically there when the house felt like falling. Pillars that crumbled upon themselves were useless, and that was one thing that Sakura refused to be.

She sat down at her chemistry seat, ready to start working on their project. Gathering her supplies, she didn't know her partner had sat beside her until she could feel his eyes on her. She was about to turn to him to ask him what was wrong, but he averted his eyes. She shrugged, blaming it on Sasuke just being Sasuke.

"Alright students of YOUTH! Today we will begin the project, so please take out all the necessary supplies written on the board. I'll pass around instruction sheets and you may begin!" He ended with more mutterings about youth that no one really bothered to understand.

Once they had their list, the two partners, though they were enemies, began to work together. It was an unspoken truce to get the project done first, and then hold a screaming match to vent out all frustrations later.

Near the end of the project, Sakura read something interesting on the list. "Mint leaves? What do we need mint leaves for?"

Sasuke's brows furrowed for a moment before he shrugged. "Better get them. I have a feeling we're making tea."

The medic blinked. Come to think of it, all the ingredients they had added had been edible items. Grumbling, she swiped some mint off Gai's desk, and looked back at the instructions.

"One millimeter squares? How on earth are we supposed to get them into one millimeter squares?"

"You're on your own, I'm chopping this peach into one millimeter cubes."

Sakura laughed lightly before grabbing the knife and began chopping the leaves with precision. She thought her skill in the medical field would help here, for she often had to chop herbs into very tiny pieces. Tsunade was very strict about those things.

"Ow! I cut my finger!"

Sakura's head snapped up to look at the group in front of them. The boy was holding his finger up to his chest, and Sakura got a good view of the cut. It wasn't a deep gash, but blood was trickling slowly down his wrist.

_Blood. Blood everywhere. _

_It hurt so much, cuts donned her body in various places. They were excreting blood at a rapid pace, and Sakura began to feel woozy. Shaking her head, she realized she had to stay awake. Had to find her mother._

_Crawling through the house, she reached the living room in what seemed to be an eternity. _

"_Mother!" Sakura cried out. Almost immediately, her mouth closed in pure terror and she listened intently for any sound of footsteps. When there was nothing, she dragged herself to her mother. Turning her over so that her face wasn't in her own blood, Sakura put a hand over her heart._

_A pulse! There was a pulse! She was alive!_

_Footsteps._

_Turning she faced eyes as green as her own. Sakura's eyes lacked the cold air that _he _carried in spades. _

_A board._

_A rusty nail._

_Pain ripping through her back. _

_Her chest. _

_Her arm._

A hand.

Sakura visibly jerked once she felt the contact, but the hand held fast to the hand that she carried the knife in. Gasping, she whipped her head to her partner, who was giving her one of those "I know there's something you're not telling me" looks.

She looked down at her hand again, and saw that if he hadn't caught it, she would have chopped a finger off. Slowly putting the knife down, she began to breathe again. The touch gradually slipped away, and Sakura raised a shaking hand into the air.

"Yes, Miss Haruno?" Gai asked.

"May I go to the restroom?" Her voice was trembling slightly, but Gai didn't seem to notice.

"Ah, going to preserve that wonderful face of YOUTH are we? Go on ahead!"

Sakura exited the room, and Ino raised a hand next.

"Ah, what is it Miss Yamanaka?"

"May I go to the restroom as well, Sensei?" she asked, slightly faltering on the "sensei" part of it.

"So many YOUTHFUL students we have in this classroom! Of course you may go!"

Ignoring her partner's "troublesome" remark, she hurriedly slipped out the door.

It was at that moment Sasuke decided he had never seen such a look of intense fear on the girl's face, and he decided he never wanted to again. She had seemed so lost in thought, looking at that tiny droplet of blood, that she had nearly chopped a finger off. He grabbed her hand, thanking his incredible speed, and she had violently jerked, but he only held on tighter. Looking at him, she had immediately understood what had happened.

What was going on?

Feeling eyes on his person, he found Neji looking at him curiously, having witnessed the whole display. Sasuke gave him a look that read: "What's going on?" Neji sent a look back almost telling the Uchiha that he'd find out. When the other prodigy nodded, he looked toward the direction they had gone in.

He had only begun to feel the effects of the Byakugan settling in when he suddenly felt something akin to murderous intent. Releasing his bloodline limit, he looked down at his cousin, who was turned around in her seat, veins around her eyes completely visible. Something was _definitely_ wrong, Hinata had never used the Byakugan on him outside of training.

A light hand was touching his arm. "Please don't, Neji." Tenten whispered.

Neji gave the other boy a look of apology, and Sasuke sighed. He'd have to figure this out on his own.

If Neji really had seen what they were doing, he would have seen Ino trying to console a pink-haired woman, who was scratching her arms attempting to get the imaginary blood off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura walked home, a light jacket covering the red welts that hadn't quite disappeared yet. She was in better spirits after she had used a medical jutsu to calm herself, and the images had been pushed into the back of her mind for the remainder of the day.

A car drove up beside her and the passenger window rolled down. "Get in," Sasuke ordered. "I'll take you home."

"I'm really fine walking, but thanks anyway."

His look was strict when he repeated the command in a much deadlier voice.

Shivering, she slid into the black Vanquish. "I really can walk you know, you don't have to do this."

He said nothing, and he looked pretty mad at something. About ten seconds passed before he spoke. "Care to explain what happened today?"

He didn't miss the way she tensed.

"I just…" oh! What could she say? "…had a lot on my mind, that's all."

"You're lying."

"I am not! If you don't believe me that's fine, but—"

"You obviously didn't see your face after it happened." He hissed.

Sakura gulped. Had it really been so obvious? "So, are you going to the festival this weekend?" She asked casually.

"_Don't change the subject!_"

"Fine, fine. I already told you, I have a lot on my mind."

"Is that why you didn't come back to class, then?" His tone was accusing, his grip on the steering wheel was white-knuckled.

"I just needed to clear my head. You know, drink some water, gather my thoughts…Sasuke you just passed my house."

He slammed on the brakes and Sakura would have gone out the windshield if not for the seatbelt. She looked over at him to see his jaw clenched, eyes still on the road. He looked like he was battling with himself.

She slowly slid out of the car after a quick goodbye, and walked into her house.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He didn't know why he cared so much. After all, she was just a girl, right?

Sasuke Uchiha, proud prodigy, Prince, and straight A student was sitting in a tree across from the young kunoichi's house. It was the same tree they sat in when the four of them played that prank on the girl's slumber party. It wasn't stalking really…not if he was doing it to…um…yeah…

So all in all he was just curious, sitting on a tree branch in silence, watching the house intently. He saw a pink haired woman come down the street, he noticed that she looked older and more mature than Sakura. So _this_ must be her mother…

"Mrs. Haruno!"

Sasuke looked down the street. Ino was running up to her friend's mother, and was breathing hard when she finally reached the woman. "It's…It's about Sakura…" she said in between breaths. Looking up and down the street suspiciously, she whispered whatever it was in the woman's ear, just in case there were any eavesdroppers.

Sasuke was very unhappy about this.

"Thank you Ino." Mrs. Haruno said before she rushed into her house. She was calling for her daughter, and he saw the older woman embrace her offspring through a front window.

Let's see…if her mother was worried, than it must be something big.

Sakura was talking about that festival, wasn't she? Well if she was going to go, she was going to need protection.

Sasuke decided to lend her his services.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the long wait! I've been bombarded by homework lately. Good news is…I'm working on a Halloween special to make up for it…yay! I really didn't like the ending to this chapter, but you'll have to tell me how it is.

By the way, I'm not pushing aside Hinata and Tenten's dreams, the drama with them will come within the next few chapters, I promise! Also, you'll find out why Ino didn't have a nightmare, because a lot of you were curious about her. It will all be explained later!


	9. Salutations

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about the long wait! I didn't realize it had been so long until I looked in my profile, yikes! I've tried to alternate updating stories from this one and Laying Claim. Winter Guard has kept me busy lately, that and icky school. I'll try to write whenever I have time, but NO PROMISES!!!

P.S. If you've never had Benadryl before, you probably won't get the humor in the first parts of this chapter. Let's just say it gets you kind of…hyper, for lack of a better word.

P.P.S. The alternate title for this chapter was "Welcome to Insanity", but "Salutations" makes me think of Charlotte's Web. Besides, "Salutations" sounds cooler.

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Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 9: Salutations

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Dear Annie,

My lab partner in Biology really likes me. I have friends that are also his friends and they keep telling me he's going to ask me out today…or Friday. He never does though, he keeps chickening out! I'm living in paranoia! The thing is, he doesn't even know me since we've never talked before, so I guess he just likes me because he thinks I look cute. Which is awful. I really don't like him that way, but I don't know what I'd say if he did ask. My friends constantly tell me that he talks about me a lot, which I find flattering but kind of creepy. Please help!

Living Paranoid

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Living Paranoid,

Stay confident. I suspect you want a man who knows what he wants, and would therefore ask you. Look, if he asks you, politely turn him down by saying "I'm not interested in dating anyone." Whatever you do, don't say "right now" or "at the moment", because he'll likely get it into his head that he can ask you again later. Be confident when you say this, but a backbone behind your words so that he knows that you mean it. Don't make him cry or anything, if he does then he's a sissy and that's his fault, but let him know that you aren't interested in him at all.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura, resident pink-haired kunoichi of Konoha, walked cheerfully down the street the following morning. Why should she be cheerful? Because unlike her friends and mother, she believed that her dream was just that. _A dream_. Just because the last time she had a dream about _him_ he decided to come for a visit meant nothing. Haven't these people ever heard of a coincidence?

The fact that she was cheerful had absolutely _nothing_ to do with the half-bottle of Benadryl she took this morning. I promise.

She walked into school and found her friends, waving them a cheerful hello before going to her locker. The three girls looked at her strangely for a second and went over to talk to her. They had all conversed before she had gotten there, and decided to act normal for her sake. The last thing Sakura needed right now was for them to act strangely.

"Hey Sakura!" Ino greeted. "I heard the other villages are going to be here today, you know, for the festivities and all."

Sakura's head snapped up. "Really?" She asked excitedly.

Ah, the annual Spring Festival. The time when select schools in all hidden villages were invited to Konoha to celebrate. For the students, it was the "I'm almost out of school!" festival, but it was also the time when the Cherry Blossoms just began to bloom, barely showing a hint of pink and white. Naturally, Konoha was the ideal place to go Cherry Blossom viewing—Suna being too sandy to hold nearly any kind of plant life and Rain being too…rainy. However, that festival would be held later in the month.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I don't know, he's not _that_ hot."

"Are you blind?"

"She must be! Gaara is the hottest!"

"Not as hot as Sasuke!"

"He is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"I think Kankuro's the hottest!"

…The other feuding random fangirls looked at her strangely and decided to leave the other Random Fangirl out of the conversation. Clearly, she _was_ blind. Besides Sasuke and Gaara are both equal on the hotness scale.

Many of you may have gotten the impression that there are only two or three girls involved in this conversation. You are insanely wrong. Nearly the entire population of the girls who attended this school were waiting by the front doors to greet the Suna students, who would be lead by the Sabaku siblings.

On one side of the hallway were the "Gaara Fangirls." These girls have betrayed their loyalty to their beloved Sasuke and decided that Gaara should be worshiped like a god of sorts, since he was apparently cuter.

On the other side, you've got your typical "Sasuke Fangirls." These girls are as loyal as dogs to the Uchihas. Before Itachi graduated, it was the "Itachi Fan Club." Since Itachi is like ten years older than his younger brother, the older sisters of the girls screaming their heads off in the hallway at this very moment were some of the descendents of former Itachi Fangirls. Therefore, most of these girls have been brainwashed and are now obsessed with the Uchiha brothers—the older ones stray more to Itachi, and the younger ones to Sasuke…save for a select few who go the other way around because they're into that kind of thing. Go figure.

The local police had to be called in to restrain these fangirls, saying that they could only stay within the boundaries of the rope that had seen it's days from being used annually to hold off these girls, or go to homeroom like they were supposed to. The girls huddled on either sides of the hallway and agreed to the terms.

It was common for Tsunade to greet the guests and their mentor, inviting them to the school. They would, after all, be spending today in Konoha High classes. She would gather them all in the auditorium and give a welcome speech, which no one really paid attention to. Stories were still told that one boy in Itachi's day threw an egg at her. Being the Hokage, she caught it with expert ease, but still got so furious that she chased him out of the auditorium. She pelted him not only with the egg, but with a table and a locker door. He moved to Rain the very next day. …Ahem, getting back on subject…

It was not common, however, that Sasuke himself come to greet the students. When the doors opened, revealing the Sabaku siblings in all their glory and their sensei (and other unimportant unnamed people trailing behind them) people finally noticed that the Uchiha heir was standing right next to the Hokage. The fangirls on Sasuke's side began screaming praises and marital wishes at him. The girls on Gaara's side were a little more torn. Since both of the people they liked were in earshot, they screamed at both.

Tsunade raised a hand for quiet. When it didn't come, the vein was _extremely_ visible on her forehead and her fist was clenched.

"Shut up."

The voice came from Tsunade's side. Sasuke had said the two words at the normal conversation level, maybe a bit lower, and yet the second the last syllable was out of his mouth, there was a deadly silence. If a grain of rice dropped, it would seem like a bomb had just gone off.

The Godaime glared at the boy. "I hate you."

Said boy smirked. "I know." His eyes never strayed from the red haired boy on the other side of the hallway.

These two were rivals for some odd reason. The first time they had met they had wanted to duke it out until one of them died. Ever since then, they had wanted to defeat the other for glory, fame, bragging rights, blah, blah, blah. They were really more alike than they seemed.

Tsunade greeted the sensei with a cheerful hello, both of them catching up in the hallway. The fangirls were looking between the two boys, who were smirking at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation. It would probably go something like this:

'I'm ready to fight when you are.'

'Anytime, anywhere.'

'I hope you're actually going to give me a challenge this time.'

'Took the words right out of my mouth.'

And on and on and on…

"Gaara!" A cheerful voice resounded through the hallway. Before anyone knew what was happening, Gaara was being hugged to death by none other than Haruno Sakura. The students that had come from Suna, including the teacher, looked indifferent. They passed this off as a normal, everyday occurrence. Meanwhile, the fangirls on _both _sides looked absolutely scandalized.

"Sakura." Gaara said by way of greeting.

Sakura looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming and—hi Temari, Kankuro. I really missed you guys!—you could have called or something! I mean is it really so hard—" It was then that she noticed the horrified looks on the people around her. She turned around and saw Tsunade and Sasuke with an arched eyebrow, both trying to look indifferent. "Right. See, Gaara and I are cousins!"

A lot of the girls fainted from shock—most on the Gaara Fangirl side—and Tsunade shrugged and went back to conversing with the sensei.

"How is that even possible?" A fangirl yelled at her.

Sakura looked confused. "Um…his dad is my uncle."

"That's not what I meant! How is it someone like _you_ could be related to someone like _him_?" Hearts appeared in her eyes. Clearly she was a Gaara fangirl.

Sakura tried explaining again. "We've got the same grandparents…?"

The fangirl just about pulled her hair out of her head. She lunged at Sakura after coming out from underneath the rope, only to be hit in the head with Temari's fan. The blonde looked at Sakura. "What was that all about?"

She shrugged. "I really have no clue."

Sakura began walking towards the auditorium with Temari, talking amiably about whatever came to mind. Hinata, Ino, and Tenten were waiting in the auditorium already, so they made sure to save a seat for Sakura. The Sabaku siblings would sit up front, being honorary guests and all. Too bad. The medic really wanted to sit by her cousins.

Tsunade's speech was sure to be short since she was never a person for speaking in public. The students were going to miss first period—which Sakura was grateful for, math was icky—and just go straight to their second period class. Suna students would be given schedules and go around to classes, not really doing much since today was reserved for any parties the teachers might want to have. Temari and Kankuro were seniors, so she wouldn't see them around much, but Gaara might be in a few of her classes.

Tsunade got up onto the podium, looking around suspiciously for any items that might be thrown at her. Her scrutinizing amber gaze made most people shrink back into the uncomfortable theater chairs, and Sakura saw someone in front of her put away what seemed to be a tennis ball. It seemed he wouldn't be using that this year.

"Welcome honored guests of Suna. We are delighted to have you hear for this year's festivities and hope that you enjoy your time here in Konoha. Today will be an important day for all of us, as you will be given a schedule to experience the essence of Konoha High School life. I encourage you to speak up in class and amaze us. Broaden our minds with knowledge you have gained in Suna—"

Sakura had always loved Spiderman, it was one of the reasons she liked being a ninja as much as she did. When she was a kid, she dreamed of catching bad guys, slinging from web that attached to buildings that seemingly weren't there, and climbing up tall buildings using nothing but her hands. Eleven years later, Sakura, using her acquired ninja skills, could do most of that. She caught the "bad guys" constantly, and usually was able to put them in the hospital for a good week unless her orders told her not to. Sakura could climb up buildings and walls using her perfect chakra control, and she _had_ managed to scale a building with nothing but her fingertips. The medic, unfortunately, never had any kind of web that she could swing from, which was a shame because that would be really cool. The point of this random paragraph being that if it were possible for Sakura to have a Spidey Sense—which was kind of close to her "Ninja Sense", but who wants a "Ninja Sense"? A "Spidey Sense" was just way cooler—it would be tingling like no tomorrow.

Sakura whipped her head away from her mentor and saw an egg headed for her head. Which rhymed. But that's off topic so we'll save that for a rainy day. Which it's _kind of_ raining where I am, but that topic is far too random to be discussed right now. Anyway, Sakura decided that the kid either had really bad aim if he was trying to aim for the Hokage, or figured the Hokage's apprentice was the next best thing and chucked it at her. Even in dim lighting, her hair wasn't that hard to distinguish from a crowd.

Upon further notice, Sakura decided that this egg was decidedly _green_. Not like lime green or grass green or any other of the pretty greens there are to choose on a color wheel, but a puke ass green mixed with another puke ass green to make the distinctive color "puke double-ass green." Which is an absolutely horrid color, you should never put it on your wall.

So anyway, this flying projectile was progressing towards her scalp with the purpose of pasting itself practically on her head and splatting on her pink hair and producing quite a predicament, and I dare you to say all of that without spitting on your keyboard.

Sakura's hand flew up to catch the egg, hoping it wouldn't splat on her hand. Her reflexes were fast, but she didn't expect someone else's reflexes to be faster. The medic's hand was poised and waiting to catch the moldy egg, unsplattered she hoped, when the guy behind her reached up and caught the egg out of freaking nowhere. He flung it back with what seemed like a tiny flick of his wrist, without turning around I might add, and it hit the guy that threw it in the first place with a horrible splat and crunching noise. While the student from Suna sank onto the floor, wailing in pain, Sakura turned to her savior. Since the seats were in a brick-like pattern, as in one person was looking in the space between two people's heads, Sakura didn't see who it was until now.

Sasuke.

How did she not notice he was behind her? His ego alone made everyone in the vicinity aware of him, and yet Sakura didn't notice he was right behind her. And he caught it with his right hand. She knew he was right-handed, but when fighting he was always dominant with his left hand for some reason. It was a strange spin-off of ambidextrous.

She must have been staring at him with open-mouthed confusion, thinking, "Damn he's fast!" because he turned to her, his face looking completely unaffected, like it probably had been through the whole ordeal. He arched an oh-so-perfect eyebrow at her that would have made any other girl melt. Sakura wasn't any other girl though, so she just stared at him, probably looking pretty dumb. At this point, Hinata, Tenten, and Ino were looking behind them to see what the commotion was about. Of course they noticed that Naruto, Shikamaru, and Neji were there as well.

The Hokage had stopped talking, and was now looking pointedly at the reigning Uchiha. He shrugged in a "not my fault if he's an idiot" kind of way, and Tsunade shrugged it off herself.

The Godaime began her speech again, "So it is with great honor that I open the doors of this school…"

"SHIT!!" Screamed the boy beside the troublemaker who had thrown the egg. "He broke his nose!"

There were some "ewwww" noises as the kid began throwing up. Apparently the taste of a rotten egg was enough to make even the strongest hack up.

Tsunade rolled her eyes and made a few derogative comments about the idiot before sending him off to the clinic. His headband labeled him from Suna, but none of the Suna students or the teacher looked embarrassed that the kid would try something like that. In fact, they were all smirking and thinking he got what he deserved.

Tsunade finished with a cheerful, "You may now go to your classes!" just as the bell for second period rang.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey, Sakura…"

Sakura turned away from her locker to see a boy she had never met before. Brown hair, brown eyes, he wasn't that bad looking. Actually, he looked a bit scared.

"Yes?" She asked politely.

"Uchiha-sama sent me to come and get you. He wants you to meet him by the front door in the commons."

Sakura was about to respond with, "Well you can just tell your little Uchiha-sama that I don't really care what he wants." Honestly, sending another person to fetch her like some dog! But she saw the look in his eyes that clearly said that he didn't ever want to speak to Sasuke again. Sakura mentally tsked. It was a wonder the Sharingan wielder had any friends at all, he was so intimidating to people.

Instead, she gave him a smile, making him relax a little. "Thank you for telling me. I better go see what he wants." _After I put his head through a wall_. She thought, but decided to keep that comment to herself. "By the way, don't call him Uchiha-sama, he doesn't deserve such a title."

"I'll keep that in mind, Sakura-sama!" And with that he raced off, with Sakura thinking _don't call me –sama either_.She shook her head, and went to the commons area. He better have something important to say, she was giving up her lunch period for this.

Sakura arrived to quite a commotion. She imagined that most of the cafeteria was empty with how many students were here. She vaguely heard chants of "fight, fight, fight!" and noticed that no one was coming to break whoever it was apart. It was a school for ninjas, after all.

"Sakura!" Sakura turned to see Ino coming out of the crowd. "I was just coming to get you! You've got to see this!" And before Sakura could get a word in edgewise, Ino had grabbed her hand and waded her way to the front of the crowd.

At the front, Ino let her go and stepped a little off to the side. Sasuke was in front of her to her left, and apparently people were chanting at him to fight. His opponent, she had never seen, but he looked kind of familiar in a creepy sort of way.

Sakura came up to Sasuke and lightly touched his arm. He didn't flinch at the contact. His awareness was probably twice hers—he could probably tell where she was even if she was in another part of the school, which was a little creepy—so of course he could tell when she was right behind him

"Sasuke?" She asked confusedly.

He turned and looked at her. His eyes were more intimidating than normal, and Sakura seemed small in comparison. Actually, it was just now that she noticed how broad his shoulders were, or how tense he was at this moment. No wonder that kid was so afraid of him, he was a scary guy when he wanted to be. The muscle under her hand on his arm flexed slightly.

"Do you know him?" He cocked his head to the guy standing at the other side of the crowd.

She looked at him. "No, I don't. Why?"

"He's stalking you."

The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood up, and she shot her eyes over to the other guy. He didn't look like a stalker. Actually, he looked almost like…

"At least, he's been asking about you nonstop for the past fifteen minutes, going on like a raving lunatic and…"

Almost like…

"…telling everyone how he saw the girl of his dreams in the auditorium…"

Almost like…

"…saying how brave and all that, which is a load of bull, but hey…"

It was then that the other guy noticed her. His eyes widened, and he was on the other side of the crowd before anyone could blink. He had her hands in his and was looking into her eyes. Even Sasuke looked surprised at his speed, it almost rivaled his.

"My beautiful Sakura-san! I have watched you from a distance for so long and I need to say this to you, you are more beautiful than the lotus flower that blooms in the spring, and I will protect you with my life! For I am Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!"

Almost like Gai.

"Lee!" She recognized Gai's voice floating through the crowd. The chemistry teacher leapt over all the students and looked at his miniature look-alike. "You have returned!"

"Gai-sensei! I have come back just as promised, because I swore on my honor as a ninja and as a man that I would!"

Sakura didn't know whether to be relieved that his attention was turned away from her so quickly or annoyed that he forgot about her _that_ fast.

"Of course Lee! You are the most honorable man in this room! Aside from me, of course!"

"Gai-sensei!" Did it smell like flowers?

"Lee!" Was that glitter?

"Gai-sensei!" Hearts?

"Lee!" What the fudge-muffin?

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee! We must go out and celebrate your return with a fabulous display of our youth!"

"Gai-sensei! What a perfect idea!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee! Let us be off so that you may return for your beautiful flower of Konoha!"

"YOSH!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes:** Because it just isn't Naruto without Lee. He rocks! Not much Sakura-Sasuke interaction in this chapter, but it's enough. This chapter was so fun to write and yeah, maybe I was a little bit tipsy on Benadryl myself (it's actually coffee, but whatever). I decided that this story was getting to dark-ish, which was turning away from the humor aspect. By the way, I put Sakura and Gaara as cousins because the resemblance is uncanny (red hair, green eyes) and the fact that I just felt like it. Before you ask, Temari and Kankuro are her cousins, too. They're all cousins on her mother's side because of the hair color and all that jazz. I was going to have a serious moment at the end, but that would have been no fun at all! I liked the way it ended, and writing this chapter was so much FUN! I luvis it to death! Hope this made you laugh, or made your day a little bit better! –January.


	10. Apple Green

**Author's Notes: **Eep! I really didn't realize that I hadn't updated in so long! I guess alternating stories makes it seem like you update more than you actually do. What a concept, huh? Well this chapter is back into the serious mode, but I'll try to add in some humor.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 10: Apple Green

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

Finals are coming up soon, and I really want to do well. I'm struggling in more than one subject, and I really need good grades. You have no idea how much I need an A! The only thing is that I don't want to get a tutor because I can't stand feeling dumb around people. Besides, all of my friends view me as this really smart girl, their opinion would definitely lower if they found out I got a tutor!

Trying to Live Up To Expectations…And Failing

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Expectations,

If you really want that A, you're going to have to suck it up and get a tutor. There's no way to sugar coat it. If your friends are really your friends, they'll understand that even you can struggle sometimes and they won't think any worse of you. If you care about your reputation that much, then you're going to have to chance it and risk a bad grade. What would your friends think of you then? The school gives free tutoring, so cost is no option. It's your responsibility to get whatever help you need.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

At the current moment, Sasuke felt like more of an idiot than he had ever felt in his whole life. This was saying a lot, considering he had been arrested for "sexual harassment" and put on the dating market by a certain pink haired woman and co. Fangirls still hadn't stopped swarming his door, claiming that they were his soul mate. That was nothing compared to this.

Kakashi, who also taught his advanced math class, was teaching his class about the art of ninjas. The current unit was tracking without being sensed.

"You will follow someone around during your lunch period, and you fail if you are detected." Kakashi had said. "Normally I would assign you a person to track, but I left all of the paperwork at my house." This was typical.

"Isn't that stalking sensei?" A kid asked.

Kakashi gave him a blank stare. "If you want to become a successful ninja, then you must learn how to stalk people. When the bell rings for lunch, focus in on one person and begin your tracking. Extra credit points will be given to any who are undetected at the opposite sex's hot spring and brings me a picture."

No one in the class thought he meant the male hot springs.

The bell rang, and since the next period was lunch, they went out to find their prey.

"Not so fast, Sasuke."

Sasuke cringed, and turned towards the silver haired man. Kakashi waited for the class to clear before speaking.

"Sasuke, we both know that you're way too advanced for such a meager assignment. I realize that the only reason you took this class was to get into the advanced placement ninja skills class next year, which, to be honest, you should be in now. Anyway, I've got a special assignment for you…"

Which is how the youngest Uchiha came to be in this predicament. "Tracking" Haruno Sakura during her lunch hour wasn't something he necessarily enjoyed, especially when she had Gaara with her. So far he had been undetected, but he still had to be on his toes. These were two very advanced shinobi and Uchiha Sasuke would not fail.

"Honestly Gaara, I don't see why you couldn't just talk to me at lunch. I'm hungry!" Sakura's hands were behind her head in a relaxed position, and she was pouting in this cute little manner that made him want to—

_Get your mind back on the mission! _Sasuke shouted to himself.

"I heard, you know." Gaara said, stoic as ever.

Sakura's shoulders tensed in a way almost unnoticeable. A tiny fraction that he wouldn't have caught if he weren't paying close attention. "Heard about what?" She was hoping that maybe, just maybe, he was talking about something else.

"Don't play dumb, Sakura." Gaara's face had never once strayed from the hallway they were walking down, but his eyes shifted over to the medic.

Sakura's hands were brought down from her head and she sighed in defeat. "How do you know?" she asked.

"Your mother."

Sakura cursed extremely unladylike before saying, "Look, I don't understand why it's such a big deal. Just because I had a dream doesn't mean…"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "And the dream before that, and Suna…"

"Let's just forget about the time I was in Suna, okay?" Sakura cut him off.

They were now in a hallway that had a full row of windows on one side, letting optimum light shine in. Gaara's forehead protector with the mark of an hourglass sparkled as the redhead turned to fully face his cousin.

"You can't keep hiding forever."

The pink haired woman's body was hostile as she faced him, the kanji for love seemed even darker in this light, and it made him look more foreboding than usual. "You think _I'm_ the one _hiding_?" Her voice was dangerous. "I'm waiting for the coward to come to _me_. I told him I'd be the best kunoichi of my time, and I'm going to prove to him that I am!"

She turned, and began a brisk pace down the hall. Gaara did not follow. Didn't even turn to look at her, just moved his eyes.

When she was decidedly out of earshot, Gaara spoke again. "Uchiha Sasuke, I know you are there."

With a 'tch', Sasuke came out from the shadows.

"I don't know what Kakashi was thinking when he gave you this assignment, but you are to forget everything you have heard here. It is not a matter you would like to get involved with and none of your business."

Before Gaara could leave, Sasuke blurted out, "Why?"

His rival's back was to him, so Sasuke could not see a facial expression if there was one. "She is living under the misconceptions that she's not good enough. She's constantly trying to prove herself, never showing weakness to anyone."

It was strange, because Gaara didn't seem like the talking-type, but here he was, giving Sasuke vague answers, yet answers nonetheless. The boy from the desert began to walk away, back towards the lunchroom. The Uchiha heir winced when he realized he was repeating himself, but asked "Why not?" After all, women were clearly weaker. It wasn't a terrible thing for a woman to be protected, that was just life. Gaara didn't stop walking this time.

"She was never allowed to."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chemistry came around, and Sasuke and Neji were there earlier than usual. They were earlier than their partners, which was a definite first. So they began to talk about the Games.

Konoha High is a school founded by ninjas for ninjas. Sure there were basic sports that were standard in every school—football, baseball, soccer, etc.—but the highlight of it all were the Games. One-on-one matches with opponents that would beat you into the ground if you weren't prepared. There was a giant stadium in back of the school where they fought, the seats high and one edge of the arena was dotted with tall trees.

The object of it all was to use every ninja skill you had learned in the past year to defeat your opponent. It was a given that sophomores faced off with sophomores, juniors with juniors, and so on. Freshmen were only allowed to do milder fights as training. It was something like the difference between "Junior Varsity" and "Varsity".

There were three winners, one for every grade level. It was sophomore year when, surprisingly, Naruto had defeated Neji—something the Hyuuga was still bitter about—and Sasuke and the blonde faced off. A tie was declared since the two were near killing each other with no end in sight, their strengths evenly matched. It was the first tie ever in the Games' history.

There was also a division of women and men, and Sasuke knew for a fact that Sakura, as well as her friends, would be competing in the Women's Tournament this year. Last year, there was some medical epidemic that prevented her from coming. This year, she would pawn it off on other nurses, but she would be there.

Students began to trickle into class, and eventually the two geniuses took their seats. Once the late bell rang and everyone was seated, Gai passed out extensive note frames and gave a "youthful" lecture on atomic physics.

About ten minutes before the end of class, the overhead projector was turned off and Gai stood with a scorned face at the front.

"I am disappointed with your project results, all of you. You will all be receiving zeroes."

Sakura's jaw dropped in absolute horror, and Sasuke had his eyes narrowed in a way that signaled danger was brewing. Everyone in the class was shocked, pencils dropping, eyes narrowing, men crying…

Okay, so that last one was kind of queer, but you get my point.

"None of you gave me a proper chemical solution for anti-aging cream and I am solely heartbroken."

Anti-aging…?

"Wait a minute!" Sakura yelled, jumping up from her seat. "There wasn't any ingredient that you gave us that would even aspire to anything anti-aging! There is no mint in any anti-aging formula that I've come across!" She thought a minute, "Or peaches!"

"Sakura, take your seat. For that outburst the class will be receiving a twenty-five page essay due in two weeks." The _entire_ class glared at Sakura as she sank lower into her chair. "Ha ha! Just kidding Sakura! I was planning on giving the assignment anyway, but that just gave me the perfect opportunity."

This time, the entire class, including Sakura, glared as he passed out the rubric. Twenty-five pages, minus a cover sheet, double-spaced, with any relating charts and/or diagrams.

"Beautiful." Sakura muttered under her breath.

"You will be working with the same partners that you were assigned the project with. I suggest you get together outside of school because there will not be enough time in class. Remember, this grade will _replace_ those zeroes you got for a project grade, so I suggest you do well on it! YOSH!"

There was only about a minute left in class, and people were talking about this new development. Sakura turned towards the dark haired man beside her. "Yours or mine?"

"Mine. I've got a library for this sort of thing."

"Since tomorrow is the festival and all, let's start Sunday afternoon. I don't want to be thinking about school on the Ferris wheel."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Come to my house at one."

"Okay!"

Sasuke found it funny that there were dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and she had looked _pissed_ a minute ago, yet now she was smiling like nothing had ever happened.

"…_never showing weakness to anyone."_

"_Why not?"_

"_She was never allowed to."_

Gaara's words still haunted him, but Sasuke couldn't think past anything right now other than the pure beauty of her apple green eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Neji looked over at his partner. He really hated doing schoolwork outside of school. It wasted the little time that he did have that could be geared towards training. Tenten was fidgeting with her pencil, and she was probably pondering over the same question that was running through his mind.

"Whose house?" Neji asked her.

"Well, mine's not really suited…" She was trying to tell him gently that she really didn't want to do the project in her cramped little apartment, but broke off when she heard Naruto exclaim "Yay! I'm going to Hinata-chan's house!"

"On second thought, I think mine will do just fine." The girl with the buns looked at her partner and smiled. "That is, if you don't mind." She added.

Neji seemed to share her feelings on Naruto being at his house—while it was very large they would hear him in another wing of the mansion, and not be able to get any work done—and agreed. "I'll get some things we might need from my library."

"Good, how does Sunday sound?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura returned home with her three cousins in tow. Normally, Suna students had to stay at a hotel somewhere, but the siblings insisted that they stay with the pink-haired teen and her pin-haired mother. Besides, it saved them money to later use at the festival.

It was during these times that Sakura knew that she got her patience from her mother. Three guests were hard to feed and house, but when two of those guests were boys, it seemed like they needed to cook enough food to feed an army every night. Despite Gaara's lean appearance, he actually ate more than Kankuro and Temari _combined_.

That is why Sakura was always a little jealous. It wasn't fair that men had such high metabolisms!

Tonight, they were having an early dinner so they could get everything ready tomorrow for the festivities. There was a fish for every person, plenty of vegetables, teriyaki, and a good solid metric ton of rice sitting in the center of the table. Dinner was not a quiet affair, what with Temari and Sakura catching up and reminiscing on old times, Kankuro's snide remarks at the trouble the women got into, and Mrs. Haruno's laughter. Gaara mostly sat and listened, with only a comment or two when necessary.

"So there was this one time when Kankuro was fourteen, Gaara was thirteen, and they were just beginning to go through the whole 'I'm in love with every hot girl I see' phase." Temari began. Kankuro glared at her. Gaara looked uninterested, but there was an underlying threat in his eyes should she decide to continue. Which of course, Temari being Temari, she did. "This girl that lived down the street from us—I really don't know what you guys saw in her, really—was having a slumber party to celebrate the end of the school year. They decided to spy on the girls, and apparently they weren't very stealthy because they got caught five minutes later. I come over to retrieve them and I find them both tied up to chairs, Kankuro wearing makeup and a bra, and Gaara somehow managing to make it out completely unscathed."

Sakura laughed. "They did nothing to Gaara?"

"Nah, everyone always thought he was too cute. He was supposed to turn into this dangerous playboy by senior year, but lo and behold, we got stoic instead." Temari glanced over at him. "I'm actually kind of grateful."

Kankuro, clearly not liking being laughed at, decided to pull revenge. "You think that's funny? This one time we caught Temari singing in the shower, so we decided to record it, she never was a really good singer." This time, Temari was going as red as an apple, while Gaara looked amused. "So after that, we eventually forgot about it, and when we looked for the tape, it was gone. The next week, it was played over the morning announcements."

"Kankuro!" Temari exclaimed, her face turning as red as Gaara's hair.

"Revenge is such a sweet thing, sis." Kankuro winked teasingly.

"At least I didn't tell your stories for _revenge_!"

"At least I wasn't singing some song by a hooker."

"It's _Britney Spears_!"

Gaara and Kankuro looked at each other. "Hooker." They said un unison.

Kankuro turned to her and shrugged. "All's fair and all that."

Temari had just about enough of his calm demeanor. She wanted an excuse to punch him back home! "And even after all that, you still wear makeup!"

The eldest boy was on his feet. "How many times do I have to tell you, it's _war paint_!"

Temari was on her feet too. "That's bull!"

In the midst of the fighting, Sakura's mother touched her arm. Once she had her daughter's attention, the blue-eyed woman motioned for her to follow. They walked out of the kitchen, and only Gaara noticed them leaving.

Sakura's mother took them out the back door and into the yard. The half moon provided only a little light, and the air was saturated with the smell of grass and rain, but there were no clouds in the sky.

"It's a beautiful night."

"Yes, it is." Sakura replied. She knew that whatever this conversation was about, it wasn't going to end well. Mrs. Haruno had the philosophy "don't say anything unless you can tell everyone in the room." If she wanted a private conversation…

The older woman let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Sakura, I need to know if you've had anymore of those dreams."

Sakura tensed, but gave a steady, "No, I haven't."

"If there is anything you're hiding Sakura, you really need to…"

"There's nothing." This time, Sakura's answer held a slight edge.

"If you experience anything out of the ordinary, the Hokage would really like to hear about them. She thinks that…"

"You told Tsunade-sama?" This time, Sakura was far from over the edge.

"She needs to know, being your boss…"

"Why won't anyone leave the subject alone?" Sakura screamed. "A dream! It was just a dream! Why are you all making me regret telling you anything?"

"Your father was a genjutsu expert, he could have easily…!"

"Why now?" Sakura yelled. "No one has heard from him in five years, why now?"

"You think I know how that man's mind works?" Mrs. Haruno hissed. "He's a lunatic starved for attention."

"Then why did you marry him in the first place?" Sakura hissed back.

"Don't you dare turn this on me! You're the one keeping secrets!"

Sakura knew that if she said anything to that, she was going to haul off on her own mother. Her tiny nails dug into the palms of her hands, and a tiny stream of blood ran down into the grass.

She pushed past her mother and headed towards the woods.

"_Where_ are you going?"

"Away. Don't come after me." And Sakura took off into the trees.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke couldn't sleep for some reason. Now, this wasn't an extremely abnormal thing to happen upon, since Sasuke found himself awake in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason at all. Usually, he would watch TV or go to the kitchens, but tonight he didn't feel like doing any of those things. His onyx eyes rolled heavenward and he growled before forcing himself out of bed.

The most logical thing to do was to train. It was only eleven at night, and he didn't need that much sleep anyway. He walked into his closet an pulled on a black tank top—that his fangirls would just die if they saw him wearing—over the black pants that he slept in. He walked over to his dresser and equipped his shuriken pouch, black with the Uchiha crest, with a few weapons before strapping it on his waist in the back.

He exited the mansion and easily managed to escape the patrolling guards. He flitted from branch to branch until he came to his training spot.

…or what was left of it anyway.

Trees had been splintered in the middle, and the force had knocked down those who had been unlucky enough to have been behind it. They had been uprooted and shattered into millions of tiny shards. The ground was dangerously uneven, and patches of grass had been torn up by the roots and were now flung in all kinds of directions. Sasuke was aware that there was noticeably less water in the lake as well.

He was also aware that there was someone else in the vicinity.

Before he could give it another thought, however, a body came flying towards him, weapon brandished. Sasuke pulled a kunai of his own and parried the attack. The Uchiha jumped backwards and tried to make out the figure, however it was in silhouette, so he couldn't see a face.

His opponent lashed out at him again, and he couldn't help notice that their technique was rather messy. However, the person in front of him had forced him on top of the lake, which was a small feat in and of itself. Sasuke looked around, but the person had disappeared into the woods.

They were still watching, though. He could feel it.

There was a spike of chakra to his left, and a giant tidal wave rose up far over his head. He thanked his speed, and managed to get to a treetop before water flooded the ground below him.

He was so interested in the scene before him that he almost didn't notice the body flying straight at him until it was almost too late. He swung around and just managed to jump to dry ground as he heard the upper portion of the tree crack and fall to the ground.

Wait a minute…he only knew one person with strength like that…but it just _couldn't_ be…

His suspicions were confirmed when his attacker jumped down and dove at him through a beam of moonlight, illuminating her uncommon pink hair and raised fist.

Sakura…

Sasuke came only slightly to the side and tackled her when she was close enough. He pinned her arms to the ground, straddling her so that she wouldn't try and injure him or herself. He got a very good look at her from this vantage point. Her messy hair, rumpled clothes, and darkening scowl were the features he immediately noticed, but the one thing that made him absolutely rigid was the blood on her knuckles. Her blood.

He enclosed one of her wrists in his larger hand and brought the limb closer to him to get a better look. She had done herself a number all right, there was hardly any skin left on her knuckles. He also noticed there were also large splinters stuck in the tissue. Those would be a pain to remove.

"Sakura…" He breathed, eyes wide.

The pink haired woman before him narrowed her eyes before catapulting him off of her. She jumped up and landed a few feet away from him. Her green eyes were murderous when she yelled, "Fight me!" and flew at him again.

He caught her head on this time, turning her around so that she was back to chest against him and he was holding her arms firmly in front of her.

"Stop this." He growled into her ear. He felt her shiver against him, but she was still in a killer's state of mind.

"Fight me!" She repeated. "I need you to fight me!"

_"She is living under the misconceptions that she's not good enough…"_

"I can't do that." He stated calmly, rationally.

"Why the hell not?" She screamed.

"…_She's constantly trying to prove herself…"_

"Calm down, Sakura." There was a slight edge to his voice this time, which made her still before she continued.

"Bite me!"

Sasuke decided to try a different approach, since this one clearly wasn't working. He put his chin on her shoulder, only getting his face close enough so that she could feel the hot breath on her cheek and neck.

"Sakura." His tone was somewhere in between a purr and a light growl, but it made her start in his arms.

"W-What?" She cleared her throat nervously. "What?" This time she was more curt.

"Look at me, Sakura."

She refused.

"…_never showing weakness to anyone."_

Sasuke made the very bold move of releasing one of her hands to turn her chin in his direction. She took a step back when she noticed the black fading into crimson, but he just held her even tighter to his body.

Sakura's knees buckled and she felt herself being carried. This wasn't like the other times he had turned his Sharingan on her, he'd knocked her out those times. Now, it was only meant to paralyze, so her body would go limp and slightly numb.

Sasuke found a patch of dry ground in the moonlight, and sat her in between his legs, so that her head was resting on his shoulder. He worked at pulling the shards of wood out of her hands steadily, calmly.

Once he was done, he returned her to her normal state—where she seemed a little calmer—so that she could heal them fully. Healing chakra worked at knitting together the broken skin and tissue, and once she was finished, there was no sign that anything had been there at all.

She leaned against his chest, her head still slightly muddled, and whispered, "I'm tired, Sasuke."

Somehow, he didn't think that she meant she was sleepy.

Sasuke said nothing, but instead ran his fingers through her hair and let her lean on him until she fell asleep. He picked her up and looked down at her sleeping face. The Uchiha's heart clenched as he wiped away a tear that had escaped with his thumb.

"_She was never allowed to."_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gaara was waiting when he brought Sakura to her own backyard. Sasuke's rival was standing there, arms crossed, almost like he expected the Uchiha heir to bring his cousin home any minute. His eyes looked at her state, and he frowned before sighing.

It was true that Gaara never could sleep, which is why he always slept on the couch downstairs. That way, he could get up and move around in the middle of the night and not disturb anyone. Also because Kankuro had claimed the only guest bedroom, and Temari was sleeping in Sakura's room on an air mattress. It would be awkward sleeping with his brother, but it would be even more awkward if he had to sleep in the same room as two women.

Gaara's jade eyes looked into Sasuke's. Both faces were completely devoid of emotion, but the thoughts of the two men seemed to flow to one another anyway.

The redhead walked forward and took Sakura into his arms, he gave one last look at Sasuke before heading inside and shutting the door behind him. The Uchiha wasted no time in flitting into the confines of trees.

Not a word was exchanged between the two.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was Saturday morning, and all of Konoha was buzzing. Every man, woman, and child were thinking "festival!" They would wait for the time that the festivities opened—nine A.M.—before rushing into town to try to get the best seats, the best popcorn, and the best prizes. Even the vendors in the market were on a festival-high, lowering their prices outrageously to make people buy from them. It usually worked.

The majority of the festival was held by the Hokage Tower, and the area surrounding it. There were all sorts of games and roller coasters that were built for this very reason. One day of laziness and bliss.

Sasuke himself was getting ready today, dressing a bit more casual than usual. It was common for the women of the village to dress up for such an occasion, going all out to look their best. The guys, however, dressed as normal. As Shikamaru would put it, it was too troublesome to put on nice clothes.

Sasuke dressed in faded jeans and put a black short-sleeved shirt over a white long sleeved one. He minimally ran his fingers through his hair and decided he looked presentable. He grabbed a biker style jean jacket—zips up with a button at the neck, he left the button undone—and walked to the garage.

He didn't feel like driving today. Besides, it would be way too crowded for a car of any sort of the street. He grabbed his helmet and sat on his prized red and black Ducati motorcycle. He started the ignition and sped off towards town. It wasn't a long ways by any definition, but it would give him a chance to show off his new set of wheels.

He parked, and walked down one street, looking for people that he knew. So far, all he had encountered was a bunch of screaming children that didn't look like they would relent any time soon.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he flipped it open.

"Sasuke." The person on the other line greeted. "Where are you?"

"I just walked in, where are you?" Sasuke heard distinct cheering in the background.

"Naruto is participating in a ramen eating contest. Neji isn't here yet."

Sasuke smirked. "How's the dobe faring?"

The dry voice on the other line replied, "He's winning…by a mile."

How typical.

"I'll meet you guys there." With that, the line went dead.

So Sasuke continued to walk down the streets, avoiding little children and the parents running off after them. Vendors were selling bolts of fabric and dolls and lace fans to young women. They seemed to go for it eagerly, wanting to touch whatever they saw. Absently, he wondered what Sakura would be wearing. She probably wouldn't want to wear anything fancy, but that blonde friend of hers, Ino, would probably force her into something. He smiled at the thought in her wearing something pretty.

He passed a booth selling fake ANBU masks, but he paid no mind to those. He had plenty of them at home—real ones.

So caught up with his thoughts, Sasuke didn't notice that there was a person in front of him until he'd bumped into him. Sasuke blinked, and the person turned around. "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." The man said.

Sasuke looked at the man and realized he was wearing one of those masks. His entire body stilled as he realized, with something akin to horror, that he was staring into all too familiar apple green eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Again, sorry for the long wait. I really don't mean to on purpose, I promise! This chapter seemed different writing for some reason, not bad, just different. Anyways, cliffhanger at the end, wheee! Oh, and in the next chapter there will be interactions between some of the other characters! I'm starting to miss them. This chapter was eared towards the whole "past issues coming to haunt…ooo scary!" type theme. Then again, maybe that's just me.


	11. A Thousand Words

**Author's Notes: **To those of you who are only reading this story and not Laying Claim, sorry about the wait, I've been on Summer vacation (whoo-hoo!). Extra long chapter this time!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 11: A Thousand Words

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I've got a date this weekend. He's really nice and smart, not to mention good looking. Do you think I should dress to impress or go in jeans? It's just dinner and a movie, but what if he thinks I'm too casual, like I don't really care, or too formal, like I'm expecting too much? This is my first official date, and I'm getting a migraine thinking about it! I really don't want to give him the wrong idea, but I don't know what I should do!

Never Been Kissed

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Kissed,

First of all, calm down. It's okay to be a little nervous, keeps you on your toes, but too much might scare him off. Second, if it's just dinner and a movie you should dress casually, but still nice. Put on a blouse instead of a t-shirt, nice jeans (without holes or rips), and some sandals instead of tennis shoes. Keep makeup light so he doesn't think you're taking things to all new extremes. Just relax and be yourself, that's probably why he asked you out in the first place.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm coming!" Sakura called to the person behind the front door. She was running late and scrambled to get her clothes on and her teeth brushed in time. Today was the festival, after all, and no one wanted to be late. Temari had offered to help her get ready, but she denied it and told the three Sand siblings she would catch up with them later.

The medic shot out the front door with her key and locked it hurriedly.

"Come on Sakura, we're going to be late…" Ino gave a moment's pause. "You're not wearing _that_ are you?"

Sakura looked down at her clothes. It was her usual attire, nothing wrong with that. Compared to Ino, she may have looked a bit underdressed, but a lot of women didn't dress up for this kind of thing.

Ino was decked out in a light blue halter dress that ended about two inches above her knees. She wore a light amount of make-up, which was just enough to get the point across. Silver chandelier earrings adorned her ears, and there was a silver bracelet on her left wrist. Sakura's eyes widened when she looked at Ino's strappy sky blue stilettos.

"Ino, you do realize we're going to be walking all day, right?"

The blonde looked down at her oh-so-lovely-but-painful shoes. "Well unlike some, I can handle my heels. Now, about your wardrobe…"

With that, she snatched the key from her friend's hand and dragged her back inside her house, up the stairs, and into her room. Ino threw open her closet and began digging. Within a few minutes time, Ino let out a surprised gasp. "Haruno Sakura….you never told me you had go go boots!"

Sakura mentally cursed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura walked out the door twenty minutes later with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. "Ino, did I ever tell you how much I hate you?"

"Only since twenty minutes ago." Ino said cheerily. "I'm sure that a certain Uchiha will be impressed."

"Who said I was trying to impress anyone?" Sakura spat. Despite her attitude, however, her cheeks flushed the tiniest bit. She hoped Ino didn't see it.

"You're blushing! I knew you two were meant for each other since the beginning of time! It's so cute! Uchiha Sakura doesn't sound that…" She got a glimpse of her friend's face. "…shutting up now."

"Thank you." Sakura gritted out. She was dressed in a white spaghetti-strap dress with a neckline that dipped in the middle, showing more skin than she would have liked. There were red strings on both sides that crisscrossed down the bodice until they ended in a lopsided bow. The dress began to flow beneath her belly button and it made her want to turn so it would swish. It came a few inches short of her knees. Meanwhile, she was sporting the aforementioned go go boots, lace-up and ending mid-calf. She wore dangly silver earrings and adamantly decided to wear no other jewelry. She preferred not to wear makeup most of the time, but Ino put on an extremely light coat of silver-white eye shadow on her. Top that off with a little lip gloss and she hardly recognized herself anymore.

They entered the hustle and bustle more than a block from the actual festival. People were driving around trying to find parking, honking at other drivers who moved into their spot. Sakura was glad that they walked. Not that either one of them had a car…but still. They walked inside and immediately bought a smoothie. Ino got something with a mango and banana in it, and Sakura chose a virgin strawberry daiquiri.

The theme was Spring, hence the Spring Festival, and the shops were selling things in bright colors. There was everything from blinding yellows to soft pinks. Lavenders and beiges. Pastel colors all around.

Ino walked up to a booth selling jewelry. Sakura took a good look at everything before deciding she didn't wear much jewelry anyway. She absentmindedly looked around before spotting a tent across the narrow street. Looking into the open flap, it didn't look like anyone was there. A small child tried to take a peek inside, but was roughly pulled along by the hand of his mother.

What in the world was all the fuss about?

The pink-haired girl ambled across the street and walked into the tent. Canvases were stacked up against the side, since there was no wall to display them on. A small table sat in the middle, unused except for a few papers. It was really rather dark.

"Please have a look around."

Sakura turned towards the voice. The man didn't even glance in her direction. He sat at a stool in front of a blank canvas with a small lamp and paint at his side. His hands didn't hold a brush; he just stared at the canvas in front of him.

Deciding he was finding a muse, Sakura went through the paintings. A lot of them were abstract, which she thought were nicely done, but not the greatest work she had ever seen. A few minutes later, she had gone through most of the work, and was about to leave before spotting a stack she hadn't gone through yet. There were only two pictures in there, so she may as well. Picking up the first one, she saw it was a landscape scene. It was pretty good, and she liked it a lot. She put that down and picked up the one behind it, only to have all the air whoosh out of her lungs.

It looked like a photograph, and she had to get up closer to see the brushstrokes. Not a single drop of stray oil paint lay anywhere. It was another landscape scene, with a towering mountain covered in snow in the background. A lake dominated the picture, and perfect green trees surrounded it. On the left hand side at the bottom was a cobblestone trail leading into a canopy of trees. Magnificent was an understatement. Sakura half wondered if it was done by a different artist.

"I take it you like that picture?"

"It's beautiful." Sakura breathed out. "But why is there only one?" She looked over at the artist, his back turned to her, still absently facing his canvas.

"There was a time when an artist's talents were truly admired. When they could paint things that took skill and mastery. Nowadays, art is just an object used to fill up space on a wall. Anyone can splash paint on a canvas and call themselves artists. I used to put my heart and soul into every piece, but now…" he sighed. "People will come along glance at it, and say 'that's pretty' and then walk off. Why should I put the effort into it if all it does is sit there?" It was at this point that he looked at Sakura, and the woman saw that his face was horribly disfigured. One eye was noticeably larger, and his nose was terribly crooked. There were scars of what she assumed were burns on one entire side of his face. "Thanks to my…appearance, people are too scared or disgusted to even look at my paintings, let alone buy them."

"Sir, I'm a medic nin. I could…"

"Thank you, but no. I don't think that people should buy my paintings because I'm normal. They should buy them because they'll cherish them always, not the way the artist looks. I need the money, but I don't want it if it's for the wrong reasons."

Sakura bit her lip, "I'd like to buy this painting. How much is it?"

His eyes widened and he gave her a price. Sakura was _this close_ to setting the painting down, but she looked at it and realized that he worked too hard on it not to be given a pretty penny. A picture was worth a thousand words, after all. She paid the man in cash and asked him to sign it. He dipped a slim brush in black acrylic and elegantly, if a little messily, signed it at the bottom.

"I never did get your name."

"It's…"

"Sakura! There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere! I've got somewhere I need to be. Hinata called and she and Tenten are waiting for us. Let's go!"

Sakura yelled a "thank you!" over her shoulder to the man as she was being dragged out of the tent. The man looked back at his canvas, slowly picked up his brush and oil paints, and began a picture of a cherry blossom tree.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As they ran, Sakura had to mind the way her dress was twisting, making sure that the wind didn't pick it up and accidentally show her underwear to everyone. Sakura had gotten a bag for her painting, and it was banging against her hip with every step. Once they reached Hinata, they were out of breath and she was looking at them half amused, half worried that they were dying.

Ino perked up, as if remembering something. "All right-y then, I've got somewhere to be!" She said hurriedly and gave Hinata the hand of Sakura's she had been pulling. "Your turn to baby-sit, Hinata. Bye!"

Sakura flushed at the comment.

"Tenten is inside."

Hinata let go of her friend's hand and they went inside a larger, circus-like tent. Hinata went up to the first row and sat beside Tenten, and Sakura sat beside Hinata. It looked like some sort of eating contest.

Sakura squinted at the stage. "Is that…Naruto?"

"It's his second time entering. Reigning champ and all that." Tenten commented.

"Where does he put it all?"

"Men have high metabolisms." Hinata said. And then they all breathed a unanimous "not fair…"

"Where's the rest of Naruto's posse?"

Tenten casually pointed with her thumb to Neji and Sasuke standing at the entrance, talking. "Come to think of it…where's Ino?"

"She ran off pretty fast. Said she had somewhere to be."

"That's funny," Tenten remarked. "I saw Shikamaru run off just as soon as you came in..."

Realization dawned on them as they gave each other sly looks. Hinata looked a bit confused.

"You don't think…?"

"I _do_ think." Tenten half smirked, half grinned.

"Think what?" Hinata asked. They stared at her a moment before her face turned a shade of red as she finally got it. "Oh…_oh_…"

"No wonder she didn't tell us. Now we will have to blackmail her."

"How right you are Tenten. What shall we do this time?"

"I don't know, she keeps walking into these things."

"Hmm…" The two hummed in unison.

"We…um…we could make her steal his underwear and hang it on the flagpole at school…" Hinata twiddled her thumbs.

Sakura and Tenten stared at her, mouths agape.

"Hinata…that's so…_devious_…" Tenten thought for a moment. "It's perfect."

Sakura hugged Hinata. "Oh Tenten, we have corrupted Hinata with our vile ways. She has become a true mastermind!" She sniffled. "I'm so proud."

"Our baby bird is leaving the nest." Tenten was sniffling too. Then, with perfect timing, the two girls wailed and fake cried into Hinata.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Why are we here again?" Neji asked. "And where's Shikamaru?"

"We're waiting for Naruto to finish his…barbarism." Sasuke looked with no small amount of disgust towards the stage where Naruto was holding another first place trophy, looking a bit green around the gills. "And Shikamaru said he had somewhere to be."

"That's funny," Neji said. "That blonde girl ran off pretty quickly as well."

"You don't think…?"

"I _do_ think." Neji smirked.

"We shall have to conspire against him now."

"Indeed." He looked up front where he saw his cousin, Sakura, and Tenten talking with evil smirks on their faces. "It looks like your woman has figured it out already."

Sasuke looked up front, where he saw Sakura talking to Tenten and Hinata. "She's not my woman."

Neji snorted. "You never were good at lying."

"And is Tenten not _your_ woman?" Sasuke smirked. "Although if she isn't, I'd love to have two…"

"_Don't talk about her like that._" Neji spat. He glared into his friend's mischievous eyes and cursed.

"Hook, line, and sinker Neji. You like her."

"I do not."

"I think you _do_." Sasuke crossed his arms as he casually leaned against a post. "This is the perfect place to make your move."

"I could say the same for you. Let's split up."

Sasuke arched an elegant brow. "What is this, Scooby-Doo?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "You go with your woman, I'll go with…" he hesitated. "…mine. And, though it pains me to say it, it's clear Hinata-chan likes the dobe."—he then winced.

"I smell a bet coming on."

"Fifty bucks says that you can't have Haruno eating out of the palm of your hand by the end of the day."

Sasuke smirked. "Deal."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I haven't wasted so much time since I don't know when." Sakura groaned as they walked out.

"Tell me about it. I think _I'm_ the one who's going to puke."

Hinata's nose twitched. "_Where_ do they put it all?"

"Tch." Sakura crossed her arms. "Men are _gluttons_."

Hands slipped around her waist and pulled her into someone. "Glad you think so."

She turned around in his arms. "I'm surprised you even know a two-syllable word like glutton."

"Oh Haruno, you wound me." Sasuke said while pressing a hand to his chest and keeping the other arm firmly around her waist.

Sakura gave him the prettiest smile she could muster at that point. "I think you should bite me." She said sweetly.

He returned the other arm to her waist and proceeded to pull her even closer to him as he gave her a wolfish grin. "That can be arranged." He told her as he bent down towards her neck. The girl in his arms gave a small squeak at his actions.

"Uchiha Sas—!"

"I'll take over babysitting now, okay Hinata?"

Sakura spluttered on the last syllables of his name. Why did everyone think she needed to be _babysat_?

"Okey-dokey! Have fun Sakura!" Tenten grabbed Hinata's arm as they went skipping off merrily. Sakura turned back around in her captor's arms.

"You traitors! Tenten I'm gonna…!" She cut herself off as she felt the Uchiha nuzzle her neck.

He whispered "karma" into her ear and she watched as her brunette friend was intercepted by Neji, and Naruto came out calling for Hinata.

She looked at him from over her shoulder. "Something makes me think this was all planned."

He gave an all too innocent look and shrugged. "I guess you'll never find out."

She gave him a suspicious look before biting her lip. "Now where to?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Uchiha Sasuke, I would have never pegged you for a funnel cake person."

They were sharing a funnel cake, deciding that this and two milkshakes would be considered lunch. It was their day off. They weren't going to waste it on crappy good food. Sakura just about got sick as they passed the ramen stand.

They were sitting inside a small café that had been set up for festival purposes. This place had once been a pastry shop, but it had been turned into festival-central, with funnel cakes, ice cream, the whole shebang. It was air conditioned, luckily, and they had gotten a two-person table next to a window. The waitress that had taken their orders was hardly paying attention to Sakura, but then again Sasuke was hardly paying attention to the waitress.

"Well I would have never pegged _you _for a dress and boots kind of person. You've got powdered sugar on your nose." He smudged it off with his thumb, and then sucked his finger clean while looking at her thoughtfully.

"Ino forced me into the dress. The boots were something that should have been shut in a vault, never to be gazed upon again."

Sasuke had a sip of his milkshake and smirked. "I think they're sexy."

It was then that Sakura learned the hard way not to inhale powdered sugar. She was about to eat another scrumptious bite of funnel cake and then he had to go and say something like _that_! The medic coughed, all the while glaring at her "date", until the substance was dislodged from her lungs.

"_What_?" She asked, sounding a little strangled.

"The. Boots. Are. Sexy." He smirked further and leaned back in his chair. "Though they'd be sexier if you wore your nurse…"

Her eyes widened as she realized where he was headed, and she had a suspicion that she didn't want to hear the rest of it. Abruptly, she stood up, milkshake in hand, and was getting ready to pour the remaining contents on his head before she blinked and he was gone…just _gone_.

Hands from behind her entwined around the hand that held her drink, and took it from her. "You would have regretted that, _Sakura_." He purred in her ear.

She bit her lip, a little afraid that he was mad, but she turned around to see his face. It was clear he was a little cocky and his dominant expression was pure, unadulterated arrogance.

An idea came to her head, and she smiled evilly, taking her target clearly by surprise. "Don't get too cocky, _Sasuke_." She told him seductively right before taking the empty funnel cake basket and dumping the remaining powdered sugar—to which there were at least two handfuls—over his head.

He blinked, sugar stuck on his lashes…and his hair…and his shoulders. He looked like he either had bad dandruff or was straight out of a Tim Allen movie. Sakura bit her lip. Had she taken it too far? Probably. Oh well, she had already dug her grave.

"You've got powdered sugar on your cheek, Sasuke." She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she stood on her tiptoes and let her tongue flick out against his cheek. With that, she high-tailed it maybe two steps when a hand caught her around the waist.

Her eyes widened as she looked at him again, and the Sharingan wielder gave her the cruelest smile she had ever seen. He then proceeded to pick up her bag, which held her painting, and then ducked down so that he could pick her up as well! Sakura shrieked as she was thrown over his shoulder…and then all the way down the road.

That is, until, he picked up a considerable amount of speed and she shut her eyes and held on to the back of his jacket for dear life.

It was only when they were long gone that the waitress that was so smitten with him before realized that the dark-haired hottie had forgotten to pay.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The first thing that Sakura registered once they had stopped was a roaring noise. There was a crackle as Sasuke but her bag down, and he carefully hoisted her down from his shoulder. She felt solid ground under her feet before she was pushed into a chiseled body.

"Open your eyes, Sakura."

Hesitantly, she cracked one eye open, and then both. She was standing on a rock next to a small lake, and the roaring sound explained the waterfall. Another thing she noticed was that there was forest in every direction, and they were likely nowhere near the festival at all.

"This is beaut—" She stopped as she got a glimpse of revenge in his eyes, took stock of her situation, and gasped.

Water _plus_ white clothing _equals _big no no.

"Sasuke don't you da—" she broke off with a scream as he dipped her over his arm, and her head was hanging precariously close to the water. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest—in case he _did_ drop her—and glared up at him.

He was smiling pretty cockily at this point, and she wanted to smack it right off of him. He looked as if he was in complete control of the situation, which, in reality, he was. Not a leaf would come close to them that he wouldn't know about, and she knew he was strong enough so that his muscles wouldn't begin to hurt and he'd drop her accidentally.

Purposely, however…

"I don't see what you're so ticked about, it's just a little sug…!" She squeaked as he dipped her closer towards the water.

Sasuke cocked her an eyebrow as if to say "You're making your bed, now will you lie in it?"

"Fine, fine! I shouldn't have dumped powdered sugar in your hair! It was stupid and I'm sorry. Happy now?"

The cocky look faded to 'arrogantly satisfied' and he lifted her back into a fully vertical position. He laughed lightly when her hands fisted on the front of his jacket. "I wouldn't have dropped you, you know."

"What? So this was all for revenge?" Her shocked eyes looked into his.

"Basically."

Her forehead hit his chest. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Uchiha."

"We could start by getting all of this sugar out of my hair, for one."

Sakura looked up and smiled at him before dusting off his shoulders and ruffling his hair, only to have a big cloud of sugar puff out of it. She laughed when he shook his head and the stuff went everywhere.

"I really am sorry about this. My temper got the best of me."

He shrugged. "Meh. I probably deserved it."

She stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly open, before he picked her up again. This time was bridal style, and he held her close to him. Once she saw he was headed back towards the water, all thoughts of him being a decent human being flew out the window. He really was going to throw her in!

"Hey wait a minute! I said I was sorry!" Sakura protested.

Sasuke laughed, but kept walking.

The roseate haired girl tensed, buried her face in his chest, and wrapped her arms around his neck for precaution. "If I fall, I'm dragging you down with me!"

"Relax, I'm not going to drop you. Just trust me, okay?"

If his tone had been anything other than completely honest sounding and sincere, Sakura would have run for the hills by this point. As it was, he didn't sound at all like the person who had plotted revenge against her if she didn't ask forgiveness. Biting her lip, she tensed slightly when he gently set her legs down, and he managed to situate her feet directly on top of his.

It was only then that she opened her eyes and saw that he was standing in the center _on top of_ the rippling lake.

Her arms around his neck tightened a little bit, and his arms instinctively went around her waist. Her breathing quickened slightly. "Sa…Sasuke?" She stuttered. Whatever he was planning…

"Trust me."

Who exactly was Uchiha Sasuke? He was an enigma. One moment he was carting her off on his shoulder, vengeful as a bull, and the next he's acting like a complete gentleman and nuzzling her neck. The sensation caused her to get goose bumps on her arms, and she hoped he didn't see them.

"I'd never drop you, Sakura."

Then, without moving his head from its spot from her neck, his feet began to move, taking hers along with them. It took the pink-haired medic a minute to figure out that he was _dancing_. Actual ballroom dancing. It was an odd sensation—here, on top of a secluded lake—yet it was sweet. Suspiciously sweet.

"I didn't know you could dance."

"Parents forced me to take lessons." He said.

Sakura's nose wrinkled. "That must have sucked."

He pulled away to look her in the eyes. "It did then."

She wanted to ask, "Does it now?" but she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she laid one side of her face against his chest in almost a relaxed position. "Uchiha Sasuke, why are you so complex?"

She didn't see it, but the dark haired teen smiled. He then laid his chin on her head, and they continued dancing. The waterfall and sounds of nature were the only song they had playing. They found comforted silence within each other. Without music, without words.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I hope you're happy now." Sasuke said, walking out of a tent.

"Much." She smiled toothily up at him.

Sasuke's curiosity had been peaked when she picked up her belongings to come back to the festivities. She pulled the painting out for him to see, and his eyes widened. After they got back to a populous area, she took him to see the artist. Sakura decided to wait outside while he haggled prices of about ten paintings he wanted done for the Uchiha Mansion.

"Come on Sasuke, the fireworks are going to start soon."

It had grown late, and the street lamps were lit to the max. It wasn't at all hard to see, however. Vendors had whatever lights they could get their hands on blazing, so that anyone could see what they had to sell. For this couple, at least, it worked. Something caught Sakura's eye and she walked over towards it. Sasuke, noticing she had stopped walking, went over to see what had caught her attention.

It was a marbled blue-green shell in the shape of a seahorse. The seahorse itself was done in silver, and only the belly—from the end of the neck to the beginning of the tail, leaving a small portion of silver as a backbone and fin—was done in the marbled shell. The medic didn't normally wear much jewelry, since it got in the way too often, and she probably wouldn't buy this necklace even as beautiful as it was. She had spent most of her money on the painting, and it was only because of the onyx-eyed Uchiha standing beside her that she had gotten to eat at all today.

"Ah, that is the Paua Shell Collection. It is imported directly from New Zealand. One of the prettiest pieces, if you ask me." The vendor told her. He sounded nice, but there was a certain quality to his voice that told her that he clearly only wanted to make a sale.

Sasuke looked down at her. "You like it?" He gestured to the seahorse necklace.

She sighed dejectedly. "Yes, but it's way too expensive."

"How much is it?" Sasuke asked. The man behind the counter quoted a ridiculous price, and Sasuke didn't hesitate as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

Meanwhile, Sakura's voice rose to a panic. "_What are you doing?_"

"Buying you something nice." The necklace was in his hands. "Now turn around."

She opened her mouth to protest, but she knew that he was just as stubborn as she was, so she complied. He hooked the clasp in less time than she would have thought. He looked back into her eyes.

"Come on, we've got to go see fireworks, don't we?" He took her hand and began to walk towards the open field.

As for Sakura, she had almost enough fireworks for one day.

A few minutes later, they were lying on Sasuke's jacket in the middle of an open field, with hundreds of other families and couples around them. Sakura was lying her head on Sasuke's shoulder, and he laughed as she jumped when the first firework went off in shades of red.

About ten feet away, the Uchiha prodigy saw Neji and Tenten talking and laughing like old friends. Looks like the bet was off, neither of them quite cared anymore. Still…

He looked down at the girl whose viridian eyes were filled with wonder and amazement. When she saw him looking at her, however, she seemed to sober up slightly. "What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing." He answered, and went back to watching the fireworks.

It was times like this when they could forget about home, about school, about everyone else. They forgot that Sakura had snapped and destroyed everything in her path just last night, and that Sasuke had almost been a victim. They forgot how they couldn't stand the other a few weeks ago. The merciless pranks of eight teenagers.

It was here that they could relax for a moment. Just for tonight. For everything tomorrow would be thrown back into the chaos of everyday lives. The hustle and bustle of school. That was tomorrow. For now they could forget about tomorrow and what it brought. They had each other.

Even if it was only for one night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Well, you all wanted an extra long chapter of Dear Annie. Fourteen pages of typing, I hope you're happy. Well, I originally didn't plan for this chapter to be like this, but one thing led to another and they're dancing on top of a lake. I didn't mind, and I figured that my readers wouldn't mind all the fluff either. Oh by the way, the "even if it was only for one night" thing, I meant that to have an actual meaning behind it…but you'll have to wait until next chapter to figure it out (ha, ha. I'm so evil). Please tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. By the way, as an extra side note, there will be more of the other couples in the coming chapters. Neji and Tenten will be the focus of a long portion of the next chapter, and I'll work in the other couples later. Ino and Shikamaru had a small spot in this chapter, but I'll go into depth about them later. Remember though, this story is primarily Sasuke and Sakura, so don't get antsy if the other couples aren't in every chapter.

P.S. Sasuke was probably a little bit out of character in this chapter, but don't hurt me! Even angst-y little avengers have a sweet, gentlemanly side!


	12. Code Adam

**Author's Notes:**Originally, I had planned on updating the two weeks after band camp, but that obviously never happened. School and then practice and then life happened, so I never got around to it. Sorry about that. And thank you all for waiting.

If you don't get the chapter title, "Code Adam" is the term that most stores use when a kid goes missing. Roll your brain around that for a minute.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary[SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 12: Code Adam

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She opened her door to him at precisely eleven o'clock. If nothing else, she had to give him points for his punctuality. Well there was that, and then there was his strength. He was holding at least five dictionary-sized books relating to their topic in one arm.

For the past three hours, she had spent nearly every moment of her time tidying her small abode. It wasn't everyday that _the _Hyuuga Neji came into your household. First impressions and all that.

She had set her laptop on her coffee table so that they could work more easily than if it were set on her desk. She had a pretty fast internet, which would be good for getting all those charts and graphs that Gai-sensei had wanted.

"Anything to drink? Water, tea, soda…?"

"Water will be fine."

Tenten smiled slightly at his more than predictable answer, but went into the kitchen and got him his request. She got herself a Snapple peach tea.

It was a good fifteen minutes before they actually started their project.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It had been a frustrating five hours.

Sakura had met Sasuke at his house at twelve. To her surprise, he had already pulled a few books from the shelves in the library, his black laptop, she suspected it was brand new, opened on the table.

Why had she never been in this room before? The Uchiha library was simply fantastic, with mahogany tables for working at and maroon leather chairs and couches for lounging in to read a book. Around the room, you could pick out the clan's emblem in various places, and on most of the books. Sakura was slightly surprised that there was carpet in the room, since apparently hardwood was all the rage these days. Actually, this place seemed to have a good deal of rooms that were carpet. Sasuke's room was one of them.

The library itself was on the second floor, in the wing closest to his parent's room. A floor-to-ceiling window that was the size of a small U-haul truck was opposite the entrance, and it overlooked one of those pools that looked like a pond and a garden with more species of flowers than she could shake a stick at.

About a quarter of a way through the project, which was by far turning into a monster, a maid brought them drinks and a few munchies. Sasuke was having tea, which she noticed he drank without sugar or cream, and Sakura opted for a Coke. At the snacks, she had to bite her lip against the temptation of eating them all. The first thing that caught her eye was a small pizza—yes, you read that right…_pizza_—topped in the category of "veggie". From there, there were various types of cookies, chocolate chip down to a pecan something-or-other. There were also things like Oreos, pretzels, popcorn, and dried fruits.

She noticed that her partner was already on his second piece of pizza, after already inhaling a few cookies. She gave him a calculating look, wondering how he stayed that thin when practically all he put in his body was grease.

He saw her staring and raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose you work out."

"I run a little, do weights when I can." He half smirked, half grinned. "Uchiha men have high metabolism." He turned his attention back to the computer, still smiling, and proceeded to type the next paragraph while reaching for an Oreo.

Grumbling, Sakura grabbed a dried banana.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

By four, Sakura was sure her eyes were bleeding. This kind of work was unnatural, and her fingers were starting to twitch from the sugar-induced energy. It was around that point that Sasuke took over typing while she researched in a good old-fashioned book.

Originally, they had planned to work until six. However, this was before Sasuke saw the pink haired girl swiping at her eyes, trying to get them to un-cross. He finished the sentence he was on, and then told her that they had put a sizeable dent in the project. He offered to take her home, which Sakura agreed, if only to get some aspirin for her migraine.

He backed the document up on a flash drive, and guided her to the garage.

It was like looking at an episode of Cribs, where filthy rich celebrities showed off their most prized cars straight out off the lot. While Sasuke had driven her home before, he had someone pull a car to the front for him. The amount of cars in there was just astounding.

Sasuke walked over to a Mercedes-Benz and unlocked the door. She hadn't even seen him get the keys, with how awed she was by everything around her. There was a security guard on duty, so he may have given them to the youngest heir. She couldn't be sure.

Walking around the back to get into the passenger side, she discovered it was a Mercedes-Benz "W221"—whatever that meant. All she knew was it had leather seats, GPS, four doors, and it was painted to such a degree of navy blue that it was nearly black. Was this what being rich and famous brought you?

Actually, now that she thought about it, rich people usually have chauffeurs take them everywhere in limos. She had never seen Sasuke in a limo, he always seemed to prefer to drive his own cars. He wasn't a bad driver though, she'd give him that much.

About a minute into the trip, which was unsurprisingly silent, Sasuke gave a long exhalation through his nose. "I need to stop for gas."

She nodded. "That's fine."

He stopped at the nearest BP and asked her if there was anything she wanted while he was inside.

"Some peanut M&Ms, if you don't mind."

He nodded and she watched him walk into the store. Meanwhile, there was a rather shady looking man standing too close to the driver's side door. Sakura tried to be inconspicuous as she slouched lower in her chair. He looked in while walking to his car, the one in front of her, and waved at her with a toothy grin. Sakura gulped and gave him a rather weak smile.

In what seemed like ten years, the youngest Uchiha came back to the car. He threw the M&Ms at her rather unceremoniously, finally noticing her strange position. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Just drive." The car was still in front of them.

"Sakura?"

"_Drive_."

Sakura watched the car closely as they pulled out of the parking lot. The engine revved, and Sakura felt a clammy sort of sweat break on her forehead when he began to follow. Her fears were short lived however, and she breathed a sigh of relief as the car went in the opposite direction.

"Have you found out your classes for next year?" Sakura asked. Okay, so it was a lame attempt at conversation, but what was she to do? A rock would probably be better company.

He nodded slightly, keeping his eyes on the road. "Advanced Calculus, Literature, Advanced Physics, Government, Advanced Ninja Skills, and Advanced Taijutsu."

The pink haired girl stared at him dryly, wondering how he managed to self-boost his ego and still look so emotionless. She wanted to twitch. Although, she was taking almost the opposite of him. Honors Calculus, because she wasn't that great at math, Advanced Literature, Honors Physics, and Advanced Government. The way they really differed was with their electives. Sakura would be taking Advanced Healing/Medicine and Advanced Genjutsu. Sure she was smart as well, but she wasn't about to put an "advanced" before everything to boost her pride.

"Are you taking Taijutsu with Gai-sensei?" Gai was one of the strange teachers that taught two classes. Thankfully, his Taijutsu classes were after she had already had Chemistry, so he never came to class all sweaty and gross.

"No. With Kakashi."

Kakashi was another one of those weird cases. He taught ninja skills as well. Because of the large amount of people wanting to take a taijutsu class, he had been switched by the school board to teach another class. Gai wasn't too happy about this, but the amount of grading and students were significantly less. Fewer brats to deal with, was the general idea.

It was rumored that Gai's class was actually easier than Kakashi's.

"Ouch. Sorry about that."

Sasuke shrugged. "I'd rather have Kakashi than have that green-suited idiot for another year."

True.

Sakura mentioned her electives to him. "The genjutsu will probably be with Kurenai-sensei, which is fine with me. The Advanced Medicine might be Shizune, but there have been murmurs of Tsunade teaching the class herself." It was unlikely though. Tsunade-sama was too busy drooling all over her paperwork.

It was funny, but she didn't remember her house being this far from his. Maybe it was the silence getting to her, or maybe she was getting delusional after all the sugar. Apparently, the driver felt the same way because he flicked on the radio.

The song that was currently playing was one of those songs that guys just didn't listen to. Slow beat, words about love and devotion, not Uchiha Sasuke's top pick. His hand was just about to switch to a different station, but it immediately stopped once he heard a low hum beside him.

"Are you humming?" He asked. More to check his sanity rather than to see if she was keeping a tune of any kind.

The medic's face reddened. "Sorry."

"It's fine." His hand returned to the steering wheel, leaving the station on the same song. "You know, I actually don't think I've ever heard you sing before."

"And you never will."

"Why not? You obviously know the words."

"And you obviously don't get it. If I sing, glass will break, fat ladies will sing and die, the apocalypse…"

"I know you're about to get a B in your taijutsu class."

Her eye twitched. "And you know this how? Why are you even bringing it up?"

"If you sing, I may just tutor you for final exams."

Sakura opened her mouth, and shut it. Yes, she was struggling in taijutsu. She really wanted that tutoring, but to lower her pride for _Uchiha Sasuke_?

A….or pride?

GPA…or dignity?

A spot at being valedictorian….or a splendid lowering of self-esteem?

She wrinkled her nose. "Fine. But you tell anyone and I'll rip…"

"Relax."

How could she relax? He was doing one of those half-smirks half-grins that let you know he had gotten his way and was happy about it.

Sakura swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and softly sang the next verse.

_CRACK!!!!!_

Sasuke swerved, jumping the curb on the side. He looked back at the back door on the driver's side to find it entirely spider webbed. Meanwhile, Sakura was having a panic attack and the most mortified moment of her entire life. She had really cracked glass!

Sasuke shut the engine off and went to survey the damage. Sakura followed, already hearing sirens in the distance.

It didn't look like an average crack, especially not from the outside. Shouldn't it have completely broken? And what was with that tiny indention in the center? Some things didn't add up.

Police officers began to survey the scene before she had realized they were even there. Sasuke pulled her to one side and asked her if she was all right. The woman gave the affirmative. She was just a bit shaken up.

"Which one of you is the owner of this car?" A blue uniform came up to them, looking rather professional with the loaded Batman utility belt.

"I am." Sasuke spoke up.

"I suspect your car is bullet proof?" A Ziploc bag was held in front of him. "We found this close by."

Suddenly, Sakura forgot how to breathe.

It was a gold bullet. She didn't know enough about guns to know what type of gun it was, but she'd guess a pistol or a revolver. She gulped. Someone had just tried to kill them.

Sasuke's voice dropped an octave. He had been holding himself together a little better than his passenger. "Sakura, get back in the car."

"But what if they…"

"It's bulletproof. You'll be fine. Now _go_." And he pushed her into the backseat.

She watched him walk a little ways to answer some questions. She gave a 'hmph' before slouching in her seat. She'd tell him what happened when he bossed women around! First the singing and now this! If he had never asked her to sing, they might not even be in this predicament!

Two men were walking towards the car. She thought they were policemen at first until she noticed two things. One: they weren't wearing uniforms or even showed any signs of being police, undercover or not. And two: she recognized the guy from the gas station.

She opened her mouth to scream for help when she noticed the gun pointed straight at her head.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He had been answering questions about insurance and such. It was a rather boring topic, but at least he knew that everything was fine now. Sakura was in a locked, bulletproof car. She'd be safe from any more threats.

Another cop came over with a medic that came with the ambulance. They were requesting to see the girl who was with him to check for signs of shock. Sasuke looked too composed to be suffering from any such ailment. Besides, the cop—who was actually a very distant cousin—had sprung for his health.

Sasuke turned around, keys in hand, when he literally felt his heart stop. "Where's my _car_?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

So it turned out that the two men hadn't even seen her. Although they must have been blind because in most cases, Sakura stuck out like a sore thumb. I mean, pink hair, red shirt, blue jeans against a tan leather seat? Not exactly blending in here.

Because the locks on the doors went down so low to where you couldn't grasp them with your fingers, and the glass on the windows was bulletproof, Sakura had to figure another way out. She might have been able to punch out the glass, but if it only cracked, she would be noticed. How many ways can you say "screwed"?

It was only by dumb luck that she learned the backseat folded down to have access to the trunk. While they had been hotwiring the car, after they had jimmied the door open with a crowbar, she crawled in the trunk, taking her stuff with her so that there would be no evidence that someone else had been in the car. She pulled out her cell phone in the dark and was about to dial when the ignition caught and the abrupt start of the car sent it flying out of her hands and into the abyss.

Trying to stay calm, but mostly panicking, she tried to remember what had been on one of those police shows she watched occasionally. Punch out the taillight and stick your hand out to alert people that you needed help. It sounded easy enough, but actually doing it was a challenge. She had to rip the carpet away to get to the light. Not thinking clearly, she punched it out, cutting her hand in the process. The road below them looked too close for comfort, and the asphalt was going by at least 60 miles per hour.

Biting her lip, she remembered the Peanut M&Ms.

She dove for her bag and ripped open the yellow bag as fast as she could. She then picked out a blue one and dropped it on the road below, and then a yellow one, and then a red one before she realized that she should probably start saving them instead of dropping them all at once.

Suddenly, her heart tightened if by premonition…and then she heard it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As soon as he realized she was gone, Sasuke had grabbed the nearest cop and shoved him into the driver's seat of a cop car. He would have done it himself, but he'd look like he was stealing the car. Which would get him arrested. Again.

Thankfully, Sakura had given him her cell phone number on Friday, to call her just in case something came up. Rapidly scrolling through his phonebook, he hit the call button hard enough that he thought the phone might break on him.

One ring…

…two…

Why wasn't she answering?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She found her phone with no small level of difficulty. Even though it was dark, the screen on the front didn't light up enough to tell her where it was immediately. She had to go by ear, which was extremely dangerous, and finally found it on the other side of the broken tail light. She pressed the button on the side to mute it, and she listened carefully, hoping that the carjackers hadn't heard her. There was no sound, which meant that they hadn't. She began to exhale in relief when her breathing hitched.

No sound.

They had pulled over to the side of the road. They knew.

She quietly hurried over to the spare tire and curled herself in the center, wrapping a convenient blanket on top of her. She left a little bit of the tire showing so that they would not question the giant mound in the center of the trunk.

No sooner had she got the blanket over her head, the trunk opened with a click.

"I could've sworn I heard something."

"Dang it, you're imagining things again, you dumb fool. I told you there was nothing."

"Is that a book bag?"

"The guy is a high school student, of course he's got a book bag. Don't be a moron and get back in the car. The boss will be expecting Uchiha Sasuke's car soon."

The trunk closed, and darkness surrounded Sakura once more. She breathed for a few seconds when she felt the motor catch and the car begin to move again, and then promptly put her phone on silent. She dropped another M&M onto the asphalt. The screen on her phone lit up, and she looked down.

1 new txt msg.

From: Sasuke

_Where are you?_

What was she supposed to tell him? She couldn't see anything but the road underneath her.

She texted back: _I don't know. Look for the M&Ms._

She didn't hear from him again, so she figured he found the trail.

A little while later, they stopped. From the look of the road beneath her, they were in a garage of some sort, because the floor was smooth. She heard the two people get out of the car. There was a sound of a far off door opening and closing, and then silence. They were gone.

She scrambled out of the trunk through the backseat again and found Sasuke's car to be in a warehouse-type building. It was huge, and long unused assembly lines and machinery stood dusty and intimidating.

An abandoned factory. How unoriginal. Couldn't villains make their headquarters someplace new? Like an abandoned Chuck E. Cheese?

She got out of the car and shut the driver's side door quietly. Walking over to the only other door in the room, besides the large, industrial sized garage door, she opened it and peeked her head around. Looking down the corridors for any sign of life. Nothing.

The halls were cold and uninviting. The floors had industrial carpeting, but the walls were concrete. Sakura felt bad for the people who had to work here once upon a time. She wandered in the maze for at least ten minutes, probably more. There was no end to this maze. It went on forever, and every corner she took seemed like it took her to a colder and darker place than where she had just been. Several times she had heard voices, to muffled to actually comprehend their words, but she had managed to dodge any people.

So at first when she heard voices, she thought she might have to hide again. Since Sakura had done this several times before, her heart didn't beat as fast as the first time. She didn't expect them to get closer to her, or to see their shadows for that matter.

Sakura crept into a hallway where all the lights were off, and she was easily hidden in shadow, even with her pink hair. She put her back against the wall hard, trying to keep her breathing silent. With her heart pounding from their closeness, she thought for sure it would give her position away.

However there was nothing. The two men, different from the carjackers, passed by the hallway and did not even give it a spare glance. Some luck was with her today, it seemed.

She pushed off the wall and peered around the corner to check for any more signs of life. Sensing none, she put one foot into the lighted corridor, when she was stopped dead in her tracks.

An arm closed around her waist, pinning her arms to her side, rendering them useless, and a hand covered her mouth, preventing any sort of noise besides small whimpers. Her heart rate and breathing rate increased as Sakura felt the panic well up inside of her. She tried to struggle, but the arm pulled her against a body, holding on tightly.

Unbidden, a tear slipped down her cheek.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Hope that was worth the wait. I really wanted to put some more of the characters in, but then it got kind of long, and I figured all of my reviewers would want another chapter. Besides, it's Sasuke/Sakura centric anyway, so get over it.


	13. Unlucky Thirteen

**Author's Notes: **Thank you all so much for being patient. I tried to have this chapter out before Christmas, so if it seems a bit short I apologize. However, I like it, so I think you all will as well.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 13: Unlucky Thirteen

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Dear Annie Fans,

Do to unfortunate circumstances, there will be no Dear Annie column today. Thank you for your patience.

The Editor,

Shino Aburame

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Don't move. Don't scream."

At the moment, Sakura was too afraid to really comprehend the words and do as she was told. She heard the words, but they didn't quite register in her brain. She was shaking. She was sure he could feel it, because her captor held on tighter than before. She felt herself swallow hard and bite the inside of her cheek, drawing blood. Okay, a small part of her mind told her, think rationally. What is the best way to confront this guy? Her arms were being restricted, so that was out, and she couldn't move her legs easily to kick him anywhere but his ankles. That left attempting to open her mouth and bite him.

She felt bile rise to her throat. She tentatively opened her mouth, barely managing even that, and settled her teeth into his skin when the man behind her spoke.

"Sakura, it's me."

For some reason, the voice sounded familiar. Even through the fuzziness of her own mind she managed to recognize the voice. Her teeth let go of the palm of his hand. Who was it? Dang it, she was a ninja, she was supposed to be calmer than this!

"Listen," he whispered. "I'm going to let you go. Don't scream or you'll attract attention, understand?"

Slowly, she nodded her head. He removed his arm from around her waist and released his hand from her mouth. Both hands were placed on her shoulders and Sakura was spun around before she knew what was happening. She blinked to get used to the darker light.

"Sasuke?" She asked hesitantly. She couldn't exactly make out his face, but his silhouette was there, and only an idiot could place that hair on someone else.

A radio on his person crackled. "Uchiha, no other persons were located inside the building and we have yet to come across any sign of Haruno."

"Haruno has been located and we're making our way out of the building."

"Ten-four."

Sasuke told them that they were leaving, but he stood there for a moment. "Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine."

She thought she heard him mutter "Little liar" under his breath, but she couldn't be sure.

He stood there still. Looking at her while Sakura could feel the effects of the adrenaline rush. Then, he grabbed her hand and began to lead her into the darkness. With his unoccupied hand, he ran his fingers through his hair in a frustrated fashion. He cursed and Sakura had a vague idea of what was going on through his head, especially after the hand that held hers clenched.

"Sasuke, it's not your fault."

He stopped and turned on her, not dropping her hand. "Not my fault? Of course it's my fault. If I hadn't made you go back in my car…"

"You had no idea that any of that was going to happen!"

"I should have kept you by my side…"

"You were trying to protect me from being shot!"

He didn't have a comeback for that. He just let out a very strained breath, obviously angry and frustrated at himself. Sakura opened her mouth to reassure him again, but wasn't given the chance because she was suddenly drawn into his chest, one arm around her waist and the other threading his fingers through the hair at the base of her skull. His head was buried in the crook of her neck and she felt his breath on her shoulder.

"I thought I'd lost you."

Sakura really couldn't do anything from this vantage point. She was too stunned at his sudden intimacy to speak, and her hands were trapped in between their bodies, preventing her from moving them. She felt his breathing through his shirt. His chest rose and fell at an uneven pace. She felt his heartbeat. She felt his muscles, nicely toned and unnaturally tense. This was the closest they'd ever been.

"Well I'm right here Sasuke, and I'm not going anywhere." It was at this point she returned his hug by wrapping her arms around his waist and putting one cheek on his shoulder. In fact, she rather enjoyed being like this. The male before her was like a furnace compared to the overall chill of the abandoned factory. How could one person be so _warm_? And in a place like_ this_ nonetheless.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Let's get out of here and go someplace less…threatening."

Slowly, he slipped away from her and grabbed her hand so he wouldn't lose her in the darkness. It wasn't the same hand as he had grabbed the last time, though. This was the hand she'd cut when she punched out the taillight. Immediately, he noticed the jagged edges of her skin and rough patches of dried blood. As soon as he had turned away, he turned back to her again, Sharingan activated and holding her hand in front of him.

"S-Sasuke?" She turned her head away from him, avoiding his eyes at all costs. The last two times he had activated his bloodline limit in front of her, he'd knocked her out, and the second time she'd woken up in his bed. No way was that going to happen again.

"Relax, it's just so I can see." He hissed through his teeth. "Who did this to you?"

"Well…I did, actually. Funny story really." She laughed a few nervous times…but stopped when he wasn't laughing with her. "Um…well I saw this cop show once and I remember them telling me that if I was ever kidnapped to punch out the taillight and stick my arm out. So I punched the light out, but the road was _right there_ so that's where I got the whole M and M idea and apparently it worked because here you are..." She bit her lip and stared into his eyes. It was unnerving knowing he could see her in the dark, even while she blabbered on and on, and she could only make out a faint silhouette of him. "And I'm really sorry about you car, about the taillight and there might be bloodstains and _hey! Put me down!_"

It had taken one mention of the word "blood" before Sasuke was active. He put one arm under her leg and the other behind her back and picked her up. Casually, he began to walk further down the corridor.

"Wait just a minute, buster! I said my hand was injured, that doesn't mean I'm a cripple! Let me go!" When his firm hold on her refused to yield, she let out a frustrated scream. She decided to try a different approach. "If you don't put me down this instant, I'm going to cry." He still refused to let go. "I'm serious! I'll burst into tears! I've been harassed enough for one day without…"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're far too independent for your own good?"

Finally, a response! Not exactly the one she was going for, but it was something at least.

"Has anyone ever told _you_ that being an independent woman is a good thing?" She could see a faint bit of light up ahead, which meant that they were nearing the exit, which meant he'd have to put her down soon!

He clucked his tongue at her, and in a few moments they stepped into blinding light. Sakura hid her face in his chest until the white spots disappeared. She was wrong about one thing though. He didn't put her down. He carried her right into the ambulance, earning a cry of "Oh honestly, isn't this a bit much?" from Sakura.

Medics she didn't recognize swarmed her as they headed off towards the hospital. She was now sitting somewhat comfortably in between Sasuke's legs, while he was ever protective behind her. He noticed how she kept leaning back into his chest as the medics came closer.

"…clean the wounds on her hands…"

"…check for signs of shock…"

"…are there any other injuries?…"

"…her blood pressure and heart rate are a bit high…"

"Enough!" Sakura barked, startling even the driver. The only one that remained passive was the man behind her, who had his arms around her waist. "Honestly! I can heal my wounds myself, no I'm not in shock, and the only other injuries are the ones I'm about to give _you_ if you don't _back off_!" Okay, so she was acting like a cornered animal…but that's what she was! Who knew ambulance medics were so…scary?

Green chakra flowed around her hand she placed it near her injured hand, starting to heal it, incoherently muttering things. Sasuke grabbed her hand and tugged it away from the injury. She glared back at him.

"No chakra. Who knows what you might do in your state?"

"I'm not _in_ a state! Why can't you all just accept that?" Out of sheer defiance, she extended the hand with the injury out of his arm's reach. Green chakra flowed around that hand this time, and she healed the wound accordingly. All the while having a staring contest with the dark haired teen.

Once she had fully healed her hand, she brought it up to her savior's face to show him she was capable of handling herself. Sasuke was left unfazed, he just kept those cool onyx eyes on her face.

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Sakura was out of the ambulance before the medics could scream their protests. She stormed past stretchers and past personnel and patients, who now had their backs against the walls trying to stay out of her path. Sakura turned the corner, still hearing the frustrated medics dogging her every footstep. She knew Sasuke wasn't following her. He could have caught her instantly with the speed that boy possessed.

Slamming the door to her office and locking it, she went to go recline on the couch. Sometimes, it was nice being a prominent medic. She had a nice couch in her office and a decent sized TV. Top that off with an L shaped desk—with one section against the wall and another facing the door—she was comfortable even in such a dreary place as a hospital.

She flopped down, face first, on the couch and groaned. What a long day. It had to be at least six-thirty or seven by now, and she was absolutely starving. It was amazing how she had all that junk food over at Sasuke's house and yet her stomach still growled four hours later.

And then there was school tomorrow. It was a good thing she had no other homework. Being kidnapped messes up one's system. Not like she would have had the energy to do any other homework anyway. Her and Sasuke's report wore her out more than she would have liked to admit.

Speaking of Sasuke…

"I thought I might find you here."

She turned her head towards him. He had turned one of the seats in front of her desk so that he was facing her, and was sitting down with his legs crossed casually in that guy "put the ankle on the knee" fashion. After giving him a disinterested look, Sakura turned over so that she faced the back of the couch, turning her back on him completely.

He clucked his tongue at her. "Not interested, huh? Well I might just have something in here that'll get your attention."

And that's when she smelled it. Food. Tantalizing food. Glorious food! A chicken sandwich, it seemed. And of course it was at this moment her stomach decided to protest, but thankfully the growling didn't last long.

"That's what I thought." Sasuke said. And she could _hear_ his smirk through that tone of voice. She turned over and glared at him.

"You're detestable."

He could do nothing but smirk as he handed over her sandwich.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The return to her classes had been maddening.

News travels fast through the teenage grapevine, as Sakura quickly learned firsthand. She had also learned that there were several different versions of her kidnapping, each one stupider and further from the truth than the last. The latest story circulating told how there was an entire ring of drug dealers that had chained her pathetically to a wall. These burly drug dealers, body builders suitable for the WWE, were of course no match for her rescuer, Uchiha Sasuke. He had fought them all single-handedly using no weapons besides his fists. He unchained her from the wall and…the story differentiated several different ways from here. The Uchiha fangirls said that they heard he glared at her and told her off. Feminists claim that she had broken free of her chains on her own and beat the body builders before the cops even arrived in the parking lot. Sakura's friends wanted to believe that he had unchained her and kissed her senseless, being the romantics they were.

"What are you talking about? None of that ever happened." Sakura said at lunch the first day back.

Ino spoke for the group. "You mean you _weren't_ tied to a wall?"

"I was in the trunk of Sasuke's car. I was never even seen by the kidnappers."

She could hear all of their fantasies crumble and die before her. While it was nice to have a little attention every now and then, she would not have people spreading false rumors about her. Sasuke himself hadn't said a word stating the opposite of the ridiculous rumors. She could fill his ego inflating from across the cafeteria as people gushed at how epically heroic he was.

She had rolled her eyes.

By now, four days later, chatter was quieting. Sakura was no longer the main topic of every conversation, and she rather liked her return to anonymity. Surprisingly, Sasuke was shrugging it off as well. Claiming it was no big deal to save the damsel in distress.

She was finished doing the last of her rounds at the hospital for the day. She reveled in the fact that it was Friday and would have the entire weekend to herself, minus the few hours she was getting together with Sasuke to work on their paper. She couldn't wait to get into her bed and sleep in for a change.

The hospital moved at a slow pace today, making most of the personnel bored out of their skulls. They were likely betting on things in the break room. Sakura was, however, filing reports in her office. She had to type the patient's condition into the computer to be stored in the main server, as well as print out a copy to put into the manila folder assigned to all patients. Sakura had a rather full bookshelf of these folders in her office.

She stretched her back and checked her e-mail, finding nothing but junk and the occasional chain letter. Looking down, Sakura discovered that her shift ended thirty minutes ago. She hung her lab coat up for the day and released her hair from its tie. Yawning, she retrieved her other things.

She said her farewells to the secretary at the front desk and began the journey home. It was quite peaceful this time of day. The sun was close to setting and streetlamps were beginning to faintly glow their artificial light. After a few intersections were crossed, it was also relatively quiet as well. Walking was good stress relief sometimes.

She turned onto her street and sighed. Home was only two doors away. Soon she would have the just-desserts she craved.

_BOOM!_

Sakura's head snapped up at the sound of an explosion. It wasn't a large explosion by any means, judging by the sound, but that didn't mean it wasn't close.

She turned her head up and down her street, stopped in her tracks. Was she imagining things? Surely not—

Flames. There were flames coming out of the back of a house a few doors down. She could see their orange glow in the quickly dimming sunlight. It was then that she got a good look at the house. Gray. Porch in the front. Bay windows to the right.

Her house.

Her house was on fire.

Dropping everything in the middle of the sidewalk, she bolted to her front steps and tried the door. Locked, as her mother usually kept it when she was home alone. Powering chakra into her fist, Sakura sent the door Itachi had replaced flying off its hinges and splintering in several unpleasant ways.

She ran into her house without thinking, immediately going to the kitchen, which was the only room engulfed in flames.

And her mother was there. Lying face down on the linoleum floor. Unconscious.

Her first priority was getting her mother to safety. Unthinkingly, she ran into the kitchen and grabbed her mother, avoiding the flames but getting burned all the same. She hauled her out to the living room where Sakura grabbed the blanket off the couch and snuffed out the flames on her mother's body.

"Mom?_Mom!_" No response. "_MAMA!!"_

A weak groan from below made Sakura the happiest person in the world.

That was, until, a stray spark ignited the bottom of her t-shirt, burning Sakura's skin badly before she had time to disperse it. Right, the kitchen was next on the list. Standing up, she used most of her energy with a Water Summoning Jutsu. When she had learned it, she thought she'd never need it, but she was so glad now that she stayed attentive during the dull lesson.

The kitchen was now charred black, and the air was permeated with so much smoke that it hurt to take a breath. Avoiding either of their injuries, Sakura carried her mother to the front yard, where concerned and nosy neighbors were gathered to see what the commotion was about. She set her mother down gently on the grass before plopping herself down ungracefully.

Her neighbors were around her, asking if she was okay. It hurt to respond to them. Her head was still fuzzy by the amount of smoke she had inhaled. Black dots were dancing in front of her eyes and Sakura was pretty sure she would fall unconscious within the next minute or so.

"Call…an ambulance." And that's all she managed to say before dropping into unconsciousness. The ground came up fast underneath her head and she faintly registered sirens wailing in the distance.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **So I finally managed to update, within a sort of reasonable amount of time this time. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. A little bit of romance and a little bit of tragedy makes for a great story, don't you think? I can't wait to write the next few chapters because even I, the writer, am excited about what happens in them.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! Consider this chapter your early Christmas present from moi.


	14. Carried Over the Threshold

**Author's Notes: **Surprise! I'm not dead! I know many of you have expressed concerns about this story going on hiatus or being discontinued, but I have no intentions of letting that happen. Be advised that I will finish this story, it just might take awhile. I jam-packed this chapter with fluffy goodness, so I hope that partially makes up for it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 14: Carried Over the Threshold

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I'm having a lot of trouble with, you know, myself. I'm not exactly sure why I can't hold on to boys, why I'm never nominated for homecoming court, or why some girls can eat an entire cake and stay pinky thin and I eat a potato chip and I gain, like, ten pounds within the hour. What should I do? I've tried to fit in with the "in crowd" so many times and I've discussed dieting with everyone I know. I don't know where to go and I'm feeling really awful about myself.

Down in the Dumps

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Down,

Boys will be boys. They're simple-minded as well as having a severe case of tunnel vision. If they think something better just walked by, they'll go for it. There isn't a thing you can do about it, and it isn't your fault. Besides, that says something about his character. Do you really want to date someone that looks at someone else? As for the popularity/weight issues, you are you and they're them. Everyone is different, which is what makes us so wonderfully diverse. It doesn't matter what your friends think of you and—although it may sound corny and overused—be yourself. If they don't like you for you then maybe you should consider finding better friends.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Private Chat Room 54**

_PrinceofDarkness has signed on._

_Troublesome99 has signed on._

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed on._

**PrinceofDarkness: **Hey.

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Uchiha? You're actually online?

**Troublesome99:** That's surprising.

**PrinceofDarkness: **Why?

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **You mean you _haven't_ heard?

**PrinceofDarkness: **No. Heard what?

**Troublesome99: **Troublesome.

**PrinceofDarkness: **_Heard what?_

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Seriously? All of us thought you'd be the FIRST one to the scene.

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Which reminds me you owe me twenty bucks, Shikamaru.

**Troublesome99: **…

**Troublesome99: **I hate you Neji.

**PrinceofDarkness:** HELLO?!

**PrinceofDarkness: **What aren't you telling me?

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Well…

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Now don't get frantic or anything, she's _fine_.

**PrinceofDarkness: **Excuse me?

_ILoveRamen10 has signed on._

**ILoveRamen10: **OH MY GOSH!! DID YOU GUYS HEAR?!

**ILoveRamen10: **SAKURA-CHAN IS DEAD!!

_PrinceofDarkness has signed off._

**ByakuganHyuuga03: **Way to be subtle, idiot.

_ByakuganHyuuga03 has signed off._

**Troublesome99: **How troublesome…

**ILoveRamen10: **Well it got him to go, didn't it?

**Troublesome99: **…

**ILoveRamen10: **He'll be so concerned that when he finds out she's okay, he'll confess everything to her and they'll live happily ever after.

**Troublesome99: **And then he'll kill you.

**ILoveRamen10: **Oh…

**ILoveRamen10: **Hadn't thought about that.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ring! Ring!

**Hyuuga Neji Calling…**

_Ignore._

Ring! Ring!

**Hyuuga Neji Calling…**

_Ignore._

Beep!

**1 new txt msg.**

From: Hyuuga Neji

_Uchiha. Pick up your phone. _

Ring! Ring!

**Hyuuga Neji Calling…**

"What?" Sasuke asked curtly as he weaved in and out of traffic in a silver Infiniti.

"She's not dead idiot. Her house caught on fire."

A pregnant pause followed.

"I'm going to kill Naruto…"

The dial tone followed, telling him Neji had hung up.

Beep!

**1 new txt msg.**

From: The Dobe

_Hi Sasuke! So she's not REALLY dead. I was just kidding, but it got you to go didn't it? …Um, so how soon should I get that restraining order?_

To: The Dobe

_When I get my hands on you, dobe, you're going to wish you were in another country._

**Txt msg. sent**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Hey this is Sakura, I can't answer my phone right now, so just leave a message after the beep! Beeeeep!…ha ha, just kidding!_

Beep!

"Sakura, it's Ino. What the heck!? Where have you been? Why aren't you answering your phone? You expect me to walk by your house—which is half black, half gray, by the way—and _not _call you about it?! Good Lord, girl! Do you know how sick we all are? I've even heard the guys are worried! And all four of them are ice blocks. Except for Naruto, but he's a different story. I can't believe you wouldn't call your best frie—"

_Hey this is Sakura, I can't answer my phone right now, so just leave a message after the beep! Beeeeep!…ha ha, just kidding!_

Beep!

"Hey Sakura, this is Hinata. Are you all right? Please call someone and let them know you're okay. We're all worried. Oh hey there's Neji…apparently Sasuke is going to give himself an aneurysm looking for you. So just call us, please?"

_Hey this is Sakura, I can't answer my phone right now, so just leave a message after the beep! Beeeeep!…ha ha, just kidding!_

Beep!

"Sakura! My gosh! Are you okay?! What happened!? People keep calling me wanting to know where you are. I mean even Sasuke called me! He must be desperate! How'd he even get my number anyway? Oh well, that's irrelevant right now. Call me soon! Bye! …Oh wait, this is Tenten, in case you couldn't have guessed."

_Hey this is Sakura, I can't answer my phone right now, so just leave a message after the beep! Beeeeep!…ha ha, just kidding!_

Beep!

"It's Ino again. Your stupid answering machine cut me off. You better call! And I know you're okay because I talked to Tenten who talked to Neji who heard from that creepy kid in our fifth period who heard from his dad who's the editor of that one paper and he heard from this one journalist who apparently talked to your neighbors and said that you're still alive and made it out of the house okay. Which reminds me, _what were you doing running into a burning house like that?!_ Are you trying to give us gray hairs!? I mean I know you have this protective-streak but the line has to be drawn somewhe—"

_Hey this is Sakura, I can't answer my phone right now, so just leave a message after the beep! Beeeeep!…ha ha, just kidding!_

Beep!

"Sakura. It's Sasuke. Call me. Now."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

To: Hyuuga, Hinata; Tenten, Tenten; Yamanaka, Ino

From: Haruno, Sakura

Subject: I'm fine! Honestly!

I'm fine, really! I'm not sure of the exact details yet, but some cute little firefighter is going to tell me why my kitchen caught on fire in a couple minutes. I'm e-mailing you from my office at the hospital (did _no one_ think to look for me here?) so stop worrying. I'm fine, my mother is fine, we're all dandy. We just have to stay for some tests and then we'll be outta here. Oh before I forget, can you please tell everyone to stop flooding my voicemail? My phone and my sanity can't take any more messages. And another thing, tell Sasuke to take some Midol and stop PMSing.

Haruno Sakura

Medic-nin

Konoha Hospital

Confidentiality Notice : This email is intended for the sole use of the individual(s) to whom it is addressed, and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. You are hereby notified that any dissemination, duplication, or distribution of this transmission by someone other than the intended addressee or its designated agent is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this email. Thank you.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Did you ever figure out what caused your kitchen to go up in flames?"

After the pandemonium had died down, Ino, Hinata, and Tenten were now sitting in Sakura's hospital room while a nurse re-bandaged Sakura's scorched side. She held her doctor's lab coat to her chest while her upper body was exposed. She refused to wear a hospital gown that had no back, and she was only allotted one.

Sakura nodded. "There was an explosion. When Mama opened the refrigerator it just exploded. I think they're having a detective look into it."

"How's your mother?" Hinata asked.

"Mama's fine. She has a broken wrist from when she tried to brace herself after the initial explosion, but other than that it's all bruises and small burns."

"I'm finished bandaging you, Sakura-sempai." The nurse interrupted.

"Thanks." The other three politely turned their back as Sakura was wiggling back into her hospital gown.

"Hey wait! You can't go in there!"

The door slid open so fast it bounced off its hinges. "Sakura-chan, you're alive!"

The women stood with horrified looks on their faces. Thankfully, Sakura was covered enough, with only one shoulder showing, but if he'd walked in a few seconds too early…

"Naruto you _idiot_!!"

To which said blonde now found himself dodging a rather deadly looking syringe. It flew past him into the hallway, and the needle managed to chip off a piece of white painted brick on the opposite side before smashing into little tiny pieces.

Two of the three other males outside the room gave him an "are you serious?" kind of look, while the remaining male cracked his knuckles, vein above one obsidian eye twitching. The security guard they'd stationed outside her door gulped.

Naruto nervously laughed as he saw the Uchiha's expression, and a bead of sweat followed his jawbone as he shut the door.

"Dobe…" Sasuke growled.

"Haha…um, hi Sasuke?"

"Run."

"Right." And Naruto took off as fast as he'd ever run before across the hospital floor. Sasuke, being a gentleman, gave him a few seconds head start before he began the chase.

Neji shrugged and followed Shikamaru into the pink haired girl's room after they deemed it safe. Currently, the woman was standing up. Sakura was a bit pale, and it was obvious her wound was stinging. She ignored the protests from the nurse to return to bed, muttered something about the male population, and slid the door to her room open so harshly that it bounced on it's tracks.

The guard next to her jumped…again. His eyes were too slow to catch the speed at which the medic's hands shot out and grabbed two blurs by the backs of their shirts.

"Honestly!" She cried in exasperation. "If this wasn't a hospital I'd beat you both to the ground. Can you two not be quiet for a minute?" Her lecture went on, but in Sasuke's mind in faded out. While Naruto was busy responding with "Sorry, Sakura-chan", Sasuke was looking at the woman a bit more carefully. Her face was pale, and she was favoring one side of her body. A red flag went up inside the Uchiha's mind.

With no warning, his hands spun her shoulders around and he gently pushed her back into bed. He didn't know how many injuries she had, so he didn't trust himself to pick her up and possibly press against one of them.

Sakura didn't protest at his attentions. If anything, she looked more embarrassed than angry, her cheeks growing red.

A few minutes after quiet chatter, a nameless doctor came into the room, but he still nodded at Sakura as a "hello". He raised an eyebrow at the volume of people in the room and the dark haired boy sitting on the windowsill, but said nothing of it. He suddenly remembered why he came in there in the first place when a blonde, female teen glared at him for staring too long.

"Ah, Miss Haruno." He glanced at the clipboard, and then at the occupants. "Would you like privacy or should I just tell you your condition now?"

Sakura sighed tiredly. "Just lay it on me."

"Considering the circumstances, you happen to be very lucky. You managed to make it out with that burn on your side, chakra exhaustion—" He abruptly cut off as the boy on windowsill snorted. He cocked his head to one side in confusion before his patient spoke.

"Ignore him. What were you saying?"

"Hm? Oh yes. Burns, chakra exhaustion, and a mild strained muscle in your left gastrocnemius muscle. You'll just want to keep off of it for awhile and lightly stretch it now and then."

While the doctor was giving Sakura a basic check-up before she was declared ready to leave, Naruto leaned over to a dozing Shikamaru.

"Psst. Hey, what's a gastro-whatever?"

"Calf muscle." Shikamaru drawled under his breath.

The doctor, who was now finished examining the pink haired woman, asked, "Do you know who you will be staying with until your house is repaired, Miss Haruno? I'm required to ask this so that we can mail you papers and such." The underlying "we need to know that you won't skimp on your hospital bill" floated in the air.

Sakura opened her mouth, but someone else beat her to the punch.

"She's staying with me."

The doctor stared at the person on the windowsill, who was looking right back at him with intimidating black eyes.

"Very well. If you'll follow me, sir, to fill out the necessary paperwork for your address, phone number, etc." And again, there was an underlying, "we really, really need Miss Haruno to pay her bills."

As soon as the two walked out of the room and the door was shut, Ino interrupted the gaping silence in the room.

"What just _happened_?"

Sakura could say nothing, as she was shocked into speechlessness.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sasuke, really, I can walk."

"Tch."

"Sasuke!" Seeing that she was getting nowhere, the pink hared woman forced her eyes to water a little and stuck out her bottom lip. "Sasuke-kun…"

The boy carrying her felt his breathing hitch as he stared at her. She must have felt him freeze, because she smiled a little. This small action grounded Sasuke back to earth and he tore his gaze away. "Forget it."

Sakura growled and harshly crossed her arms, sucking in breath when it agitated her wound.

Gradually, the others had left her hospital room an hour ago. Sasuke was still gone, leaving Sakura in the room by herself. She contemplated that if she was going to Sasuke's home, she would under no circumstances travel there in her lab coat and a backless hospital gown.

So ignoring the throb in her leg, she took it slow going to her office downstairs. Locking herself inside, Sakura grabbed her "just in case" clothes she left here. The ensemble wasn't at all magnificent. A plain, navy blue scrub shirt with silver trimming and pair of green pajama pants depicting the characters of "Winnie the Pooh".

Feeling satisfied with her new wardrobe, Sakura unlocked the door and threw it open.

Only to jump back, startled, a moment later.

For against the opposite wall, Sasuke leaned against it, arms crossed, eyes calculating. Waiting.

It was at this point he pushed himself off, walking forward. Sakura put her weight on her bad leg in an effort to step back and winced. Almost instantaneously she found herself being carried.

He forewent the wheelchair, put her in his car, and drove to his house.

Which put her in her current predicament.

Uchiha Sasuke was now carrying her up the steps to his mansion's front door. The butler let him in without argument, although there was enough arguing from Sakura's end to make up for it.

A maid rushed ahead of Sasuke up the stairs to open doors, fluff pillows, or did whatever maids do. And as Sakura was carried into the entryway of her room, she found it to be the same as the last one she'd occupied.

The walls were just the color purple that leaned more towards white, but still gave one serenity. The bay windows still held the breathtaking view, adorned by white curtains with silk violets sewn into them. The white duvet on the bed was printed with amethyst orchid blossoms, and the maid had folded them down to reveal the lilac cotton sheets beneath.

Sakura thought that maybe this arrangement wouldn't be so bad after all.

Sasuke placed her on top of the covers and let herself get comfortable before saying, "Call a maid if you need anything. They should be available when you press zero." He gestured to the one sitting on her nightstand, which looked like one generally found at a hotel. It had a directory and everything. Sasuke handed her the remote for the plasma screen TV on the wall. "Do you need anything?"

Feeling like a child stuck in bed with the flu, Sakura shook her head slowly.

"I'll have someone bring up your things in a little while." He ruffled her hair, making her experience more of the child feeling, and left the room. This left Sakura to have experiences of the wealthy as she nearly vibrated off the bed due to the Bose surround sound from the television.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was all Sakura could do not to scream.

Maybe it was the feeling of being in a new bed or maybe her cousin's insomnia was rubbing off on her, but Sakura just could fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. Blankets on. Blankets off. Turn right. Turn left. Fluffed pillows. Defluffed pillows. And to top it off: one feeling of complete exhaustion coupled with the beginnings of a headache.

The clock on the nightstand read two A.M.

Rolling onto her back and staring at the fan, Sakura wondered if maybe she should walk around a bit. It was certainly better than lying there while her overactive imagination tried to keep her busy. Insomnia was boring.

She was contemplating this when she heard the door to her room open. Confused as to who would come into this room at such a late—or rather, early—hour, Sakura sat up.

The dark, clearly masculine, figure silently glided into her room.

"Sasuke?"

There was a rough chuckle, and then the shadow spoke. "Not quite."

It pinned her as odd that this man, clearly not Sasuke or Itachi, would manage to break into the house without setting any of the alarms off. She didn't know all the butlers by voice, but made an educated guess that this man _did not _belong in the Uchiha Manor.

Since probably not even Sasuke could break into his own house without setting the alarms off, Sakura wondered if maybe this was a genjutsu. Her hands formed the correct seal before muttering, "Kai."

The man laughed. And with that single action, Sakura knew who he was.

She felt him constricting her, even from across the room. Her breathing was shallow and her heart thrummed beneath her breastbone. She knew he heard her uneven breathing. Saw her hands tighten in the covers. Smelled her fear with that predatory sense he always seemed to possess.

"_No_…" Sakura breathed.

The shadow laughed that sinister, grating laugh once more before stepping into a patch of moonlight and—

Sakura woke up.

It was pathetic, really, that she managed to dream about not being able to fall asleep. The pink haired woman, now in shorts and a loose t-shirt, glanced at the clock.

Two fifteen A.M.

It was the simple numbers that jarred her memories, and resurfaced the dream that had escaped her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke was woken by the presence of a figure walking into his room. He feigned sleep, situated in the middle of his large mattress, and watched the shadow nervously make its way towards him.

It wasn't that uncommon for him to be woken by a maid, sometimes. If they knocked and he still slept, they had the keys needed to let themselves into his room. It was a pain, especially when they "accidentally" groped his chest while trying to wake him up. He usually had those maids fired.

The person standing at the side of the bed was more nervous than his maids usually were. He could hear her—definitely a her—breathing and he could see her biting her lip through hooded lashes.

She swallowed before speaking. "Sasuke?"

Slowly, he sat up in bed once he registered who it was. "Sakura? What is it?"

Now that he could see her fully, he registered the lightness of her hair and the outline of her body. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn she blushed as the sheets fell away from him, revealing his bare chest. He only ever slept in a pair of pants.

"I…" She paused, as if unsure, and then resumed slowly, "I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight."

He let the statement sink in for a moment. It was very uncharacteristic of her. The first time she'd woken up in his bed he nearly had to peel her off the ceiling. If she was asking to sleep in his room, let alone in the same bed, something must have scared the wits out of her.

Realizing his lack of response probably wasn't doing her shaky nerves any good, he slid over to the opposite side of the bed in a silent approval.

Sakura said a "thank you" before climbing in next to him. She situated herself near the edge of the bed, curling herself into a little ball. Sasuke winced at how uncomfortable she looked, but didn't reach out for her.

He stayed awake even after her breathing had evened out. He clucked his tongue as her body shifted to seek out his warmth unconsciously, mindful of the burn on her side. He let out a small laugh through his nose when she cuddled up next to him, back against his chest.

It was when she rolled over—wincing in slight discomfort from the wound—and rested her head on his chest that he couldn't resist running his fingers through her hair, sliding his hand slowly down her back to rest at the base of her spine, and keeping it there the rest of the night.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **I really hope the fluff was enough to make up for the long update. (Again, really, really sorry!) Life, you know! As always, comments, concerns, and questions are appreciated.


	15. Fueling the Fire

**Author's Note: **I know, I know. Before you all say anything! I am a terrible person for updating so late. I've been trying to be better, but that's not happening.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: SasuSaku Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 15: Fueling the Fire

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I have a friend that has been my friend for quite some time now. Due to…recent events, I think she was abused when she was little. She doesn't talk about it at all, and no one even knows the whole story. I know that she would tell us if she wanted to, so I don't want to poke and prod until she's forced into telling us. I just can't help but think that she doesn't trust us. I have this gut feeling, that might be somewhat founded, that she's in danger again. I'm too shy to do anything drastic, so maybe you could suggest a subtle approach?

Concerned

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hey Concerned!

Like, "Annie" totally read this—right?—and I think she inhaled some of her drink. But that's really not the point. She read it and handed it off to me. She said something like "I'm not familiar with this topic, maybe you can answer it better" and then bolted out the door. Isn't that weird? Oh well, she's a strange chickadee anyway. So I'll call myself…Candy! You know, short for "Candice"! Which…isn't…my real name. Like I'd be dumb enough to give out my real name. Anyway, Concerned, this friend of yours. You should, like, totally tell someone. I mean isn't that what they're always harping about in Health and whatnot? A counselor could probably talk to your friend for you, so maybe drop an anonymous (did I spell that right) tip if you're too shy. Live a little, Concerned! Be bold! So anyway don't force her into telling you. She won't think of you much as a friend if you're _forcing_ her, I mean come on. Curiosity killed the cat, right? So if she wants to let it be known she was abused, she'll tell you when she's ready. Although the worst thing you could probably do is NOT tell anyone. You gotta talk, sweetie.

Luv ya!

Candy

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura woke up, noticing at once the unfamiliar smell of the room. This wasn't her room. This wasn't even her room at Sasuke's house. In fact, it smelled like Sasuke. That covetable spicy maple scent. Wild, but with an underlying calmer scent. Spicy and Sweet. Nothing that could even begin to come out of a bottle. And she hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

Last nights events slowly came back to her. That horrid dream was still fresh in her mind, like living through it over and over. And after that, she vaguely remembered getting up in a blind state of panic, fading to uneasiness and that "what in the world am I doing? This is asinine" feeling as she walked towards his room. His door wasn't locked, Sakura doubted that he had anything to be embarrassed about. If someone walked in on him naked, he'd probably shrug it off as the person drooled on the floor and act like "Yeah I'm hot" and then proceed to go back to doing whatever he was doing before he was interrupted. Except if it was a guy. He probably wouldn't do that if it was a guy.

Speaking of, what if he slept…"free spirited"? Honestly, what would she do if she walked in on him and there he was in all his glory? She'd look like a fool, that's what. Sure, she'd slept in the same bed with him before, but he'd known she was going to be there. He put her there, after all. This visit was kind of unexpected.

For a moment, she stood next to his bed, debating on whether this was such a good idea or not. Finally, she gathered her courage and managed to say his name.

He was sitting up now, staring at her, and Sakura couldn't help but follow the lines of his chest down to his abdomen. She dimly saw the tie to his pajama pants. Thank goodness. Suddenly, she realized where she was looking and snapped her eyes back to his face. He had asked her a question.

"I…" She paused, rethinking this stupid idea, "I was wondering if I could sleep with you tonight."

He sat for a moment, appearing slightly confused. Meanwhile, Sakura was berating herself like no one had ever berated themselves before. This was possibly the dumbest idea she'd ever had. And that was saying a lot, considering she'd done some pretty stupid things throughout the years.

What broke her out of her self-criticism was a movement. Sasuke had slid over, giving her room to lay down. She almost cried in relief. She thanked him as she was lying down, but she stayed as far on "her" side of the bed as she could. After all, she still felt pretty stupid. The dream still fresh in her mind, she curled herself into a little ball. Though she came to Sasuke, his presence was enough to quell her fears a little.

She nodded off to sleep soon after, but she would have sworn she felt arms around her.

And now she was at her current predicament. He was probably lying right next to her, awake no less. Awkward questions she wasn't sure she was quite ready to deal with would arise. Sakura feigned sleep for now.

How would he react? How would she react once she saw how he reacted? This fear was making her gnaw off her lip. And that dang shower was making so much noise she couldn't even hear herself—

Stop.

Rewind.

Shower?

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up. The place next to her was empty. Void of life whatsoever. The shower was going steadily in the bathroom, through the frosted French doors.

To save herself further embarrassment, Sakura got out of bed and padded softly to the door. She exited his room just as the shower cut off, and from there bee-lined it to her own room in a pace that could get her a spot in the Olympics.

She heaved a sigh of relief, pushing down the little bit of adrenaline, and decided to follow Sasuke's example by showering, if only to get his scent off of her. It was making her light-headed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She was definitely sleeping with him more often.

That was Sasuke's single thought as he got out of the shower, drying himself off methodically. He dressed, and walked back into his room, but strangely found it missing of the one occupant he really wanted to see. He frowned. What are the chances she'd wake up in the fifteen minutes he was gone?

Today wasn't a school day, so finding the pink haired woman could wait for a few minutes. In the meantime: breakfast.

She wasn't in the kitchen. Above all things, Sasuke hated eating in the dining room. It was stuffy and formal and was really only used for occasions with company. Even Itachi, who was usually his complete opposite, felt the same way.

The chef greeted him with far more dishes than he could possibly eat in a year. In truth, he was the chef's favorite, despite the amount of pranks and science experiments he and his friends had attempted in the kitchen. Getting Chef's kitchen dirty was a no-no, especially if you wanted to live to see another day.

Sasuke bid the chef an "Orevoire" and stepped through the double swinging doors. Immediately, he bumped into someone who gave a squeak and began the backwards descent to the marble floors. It was only due to his quick reflexes that he managed to slip an arm around that person's waist.

Well, well, the mouse finally finds the cheese.

Sakura was still lying in the crook of his arm, eyes still wide from almost being thrown back onto the floor. One hand rested on the bicep that supported her and the other rested on his chest. Blushing, she extracted both immediately, but her arm movements were limited by their close proximity.

"Ah…Good morning," Sakura said as if this encounter was normal. She was trying to keep her cool…and also failing at it. She wondered if he could feel her heart jumping inside of her chest.

"Morning." Sasuke purposefully said this in a low tone, so she'd feel the vibrations from his chest. It worked, and he watched with a male satisfaction as she shuddered.

"You can…put me down now."

He set her down on the floor, making sure she had her balance before he let her go. She was twiddling her fingers in a very Hinata-like fashion, and there was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"I was wondering, if you weren't too busy right now…" She swallowed. "If you could please drive me to the hospital?"

His eyes softened. "Sure. Let me get my keys."

He thought he heard her grumble "which ones?" at his back, and he laughed to himself.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura froze in the doorway.

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"_No_."

"Why not?"

"That…that _thing_ is a _death trap_." She pointed at his red and black Ducati motorcycle, of which he was currently straddling, his helmet tucked under one arm.

"I'm astonished you don't have any more faith in my driving skills." She thought he nearly pouted.

"It's not your driving skills I'm worried about." She amended. "It's _that_ thing."

"It's perfectly fine. Besides," he patted the seat behind him and winked. "I'm your only ride, unless you want to walk the ten miles it takes to get to the hospital."

"If we crash—"

"Then we're headed in the right direction." He gestured down the road that would take them to the hospital. "Now are you going to get on or will I see you there?"

Biting her lip, debating, Sakura jumped when he started the engine. "Alright already! I'll get on." She accepted the helmet from his outstretched hand and sat behind him, tentatively wrapping her arms around his middle. But as soon as he merged into traffic, "tentatively" was no longer in her vocabulary.

At one point, Sasuke put one of his hands around hers. This relaxed her to some degree, before she realized he was going forty miles an hour driving with only one hand. She promptly slapped it away, and she felt him laugh, pressed up against his back as she was.

They reached the hospital and Sakura hopped off his motorcycle before he'd even cut the engine. She stood on slightly shaky legs, and placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself.

"Never…again…"

He laughed and removed his helmet, setting it on the handlebars. In fact, he noticed, she was so unsteady from having that much power between her legs, that the grip on his shoulder was tightening. Rapidly.

Smirking, he slid back, grabbed her waist, and sat her in front of him so that both of her legs were dangling over the one side. He wrapped his arms around her waist and set his head on top of hers when she laid it on his chest, still catching her breath.

Finally, after getting some of her bearings, she turned her upper body to face him. Sakura grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged him down to eye level.

"If you ever pick me up in one of these things again, all the king's horses and all the king's men won't _find_ all the pieces to even _begin_ to put you back together." She growled out while poking his chest to emphasize her words. "Got it?"

He smirked at her and grabbed her finger, unyielding when she tried to pull away. "Got it." He leaned down and nipped her jawbone, to which she squeaked and would have fallen off the bike if he didn't have that iron hold on her.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" She chastised. "You…you…" He had moved down her neck now, kissing and nipping where he saw fit.

"Me?" He breathed against her clavicle, making her shiver.

"You…little…" She had forgotten what she was going to call him. All she had remembered was that it had been really witty. Dang it.

He extracted his lips from her neck and stared into her clouded eyes, almost nose to nose with her. "Yes?" He asked calmly while bringing her hand up to his mouth and kissing each one of her fingertips. Her breathing had all but stopped. Did he know how sexy he looked looking at her with hooded eyes? Did he know that sparks shot down her arm every time he made contact? Did he know what effect this was having on her?

Of course he did.

"You…" she finally managed to get out breathlessly. "are infuriating."

He grinned and slowly relented her hand.

She hopped off—still shaky, but for another reason—and turned on him. "I'll probably be a few hours checking up on my mother. I'll call when I'm done."

And with that she marched into the hospital's doors, not quite looking like a happy bunny.

She needed a drink.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The heart of the female mind realizes that she was made to be inferior to males. They got to vote first, drive first, wear pants first, and got paid more. So it was the sole source of ecstasy for some women when they managed to "pull one over" on their male counterparts.

Sakura smiled, having done exactly that.

Her mother was asleep when she stepped into her room. Sakura lifted the medical chart from the foot of her bed and smiled when the older woman was healing fine, and could be out of here in a few days.

Until then, she tied back her hair, ignoring the way her wound stung when the skin was stretched, and donned her doctor's coat. She reported for work, bypassing concerned stares from the nurses who'd heard about her condition, and checked on patients one by one. Sasuke could feed her, clothe her, sleep with her, and let her live in his house, but she would not—_not_—let him keep her from work. He wouldn't like her working in her "condition", but she had no intention of letting her control her life.

Now that her mother was in the hospital and insurance was putting up a fight paying for their medical bills and house insurance, the only source of income left to pay the rest of it was coming from Sakura. She didn't have a salary, so she worked as long as she thought wouldn't be suspicious. Five hours seemed reasonable enough.

At the end of five hours, she was exhausted and hungry. It appeared like she picked the right day to come into work. Patients were pouring in and they were receiving more than they were letting out.

She got a call on her cell phone, and excused herself from a patient with the excuse that it might be an emergency.

It was Sasuke.

Which was close enough.

"Hello?" She asked once she was in the hall.

"Hey. You alright?"

"Yeah. Sorry it's taking so long. They had some paperwork they needed me to fill out and they're taking forever."

"Ah. How's your mother."

He was acting sweet now, which was almost the exact opposite of his earlier actions in the parking lot. "She's doing well. The doctor is going to come around in a little bit and talk to us." It was scary how easily she was able to lie to him.

"Okay. Call me when you're ready."

"Sure." And she hung up on him and proceeded to go back into the patient's room. She had bought herself a few more hours, at least.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She was lying down on a bench outside, waiting for Sasuke to come pick her up. She would have to force herself to get up by sheer will power alone, and even then every step until she was lying in her bed was going to be agony.

Headlights appeared in the dimming twilight. There were two of them and she was thankful. He wasn't going to make her ride on his wretched motorcycle. She pulled herself into a sitting position when the burgundy Ford Mustang pulled up to a stop beside her. The top was down, and Sasuke was able to see her with the help of a streetlight.

"You look awful." He told her once she plopped in the seat beside her.

She gave him a dry look. "Nice to see you too."

He took a hold of her chin and turned her face so he could examine the dark circles under her eyes. "Good Lord. What were you _doing_?" As soon as his hand disappeared, her head thunked back against the headrest tiredly.

"Paperwork. I did some filing while I was waiting around." Never mind that she had demanded to be put on the shift today. Or that in between filing she had checked up on patients and had to make a mad dash to the emergency room.

Sasuke seemed to by her answer, so he pressed the gas and journeyed towards his house. "You shouldn't be working when you're hurt."

Sakura pushed the hair out of her eyes from where it was whipping around her face. "It doesn't really hurt much anymore," she lied. "And I didn't do anything major." Also a lie.

Sasuke pulled the car into the garage and parked it, pulling up the hardtop hood. Sakura sat there for a moment, blinking sleepily. She didn't even realize Sasuke had gotten out of the car until the passenger side door opened, and she was being hauled out.

"_What_…are you _doing_?" She asked, with less enthusiasm at being set back on her feet than normal. Hey, if he wanted to carry her up a really big flight of stairs and past a number of hallways for her to get into bed, then let him. Sakura would rather sleep on the couch in his living room than walk right now.

"You're exhausted." He said simply as a butler opened the door for him. "With your luck you'll probably slip on the stairs and fall into a coma."

True. But did he have to rub it in her face.

She sighed half-heartedly, and without her permission her head lolled against his chest. He didn't seem so much as affected by the contact. This was the second dang time that she'd been carried to her room. She growled. Life just wasn't fair.

He entered her room and set her in a sitting position on the bed, he took off her shoes and sat next to her. Suddenly, even though she was dog tired, she had to do something. She made her way up, grabbed a nightshirt and shorts from a drawer (and tried to get the underwear between the folds of her clothes so he wouldn't see) and told him she was going to go take a shower.

The shower was agony as well. The second-degree burn stung against her side the entire time it was under the hot water was touching it. It was like when she was little and her mother had to blow on a stinging cut to make it feel better. Her mother wasn't here now, so that left her awkwardly fanning her side, tears building in the corner of her eyes at the pain.

The next step after getting out of the shower was to rewrap the burn. She took a shaky breath before rubbing some Neosporin on it. The pain faded a little, but not so much that it still stung when it was touched.

She wrapped them a little amateurishly. Not something you'd expect from someone so high up in their medical profession, but it was workable until she could think better after a nice long sleep.

Sakura went into her room once she dressed, content to just lay down and stay there until her house was fixed, when she noticed something on her bed that made her jump.

Sasuke was still there.

The man was reclining on her bed like it was his own, and flipping through the TV she hadn't even heard click on. As soon as he noticed her out of the bathroom however, the television was shut off and he swung his legs over the side of her bed, standing.

"Feeling better?" He asked, walking towards her.

She nodded meekly, wondering what the best way to tell him to leave so she could go to bed.

He raised a brow in approval. "Good." And with that she was swept up in his arms again.

"Hey wait a minute!" Sakura yelled, feeling a bit more energized than before. "Where are you going?!"

He had walked out of her room and into the hallway, she recognized where he was taking her almost at once.

"Now how am I supposed to know if you're going to get a good night sleep better than if you're right beside me?"

"I hate you." She told him as she was settled on his bed. On "her side" she'd dubbed it.

He smirked. "Now I can die without any regrets."

He was playing with her. And she hated it. "You're a jerk."

He said nothing to that, still kept that darned smirk on his face, but they always did say that silence meant yes. It was then that he retreated to the bathroom himself, stopping for a moment to turn out the lights.

It turned out he didn't have to worry about a thing. By the time he got out of the shower, Sakura was already sleeping like the dead.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She woke up before the sun had risen, wondering how she had gotten in this tangled mess.

She had one leg thrown over one of Sasuke's, her head nuzzling his neck, and one arm that was thrown across his body touching his hip bone. Needless to say she quickly moved the offending hand to his abs, but that was almost worse when she felt them unconsciously tighten at her touch. Stupid man. Stupid man and his stupid god-like body.

If he woke up at this exact moment, she'd have to do some explaining to do.

His hand was buried in her hair at the nape of her neck. That was all. She wondered how, in the course of a single night, she managed to end up half sprawled on top of him when he was the one who carted her off to his room in the first place. Not to mention, her raging female hormones weren't doing _anything_ to make this any easier for her.

Sighing, she tried to untangle herself from her hold on him, trying not to wake him, or else he was in for one heck of a wake up call.

She didn't even know how she did it, her movements were so sleight and subtle, but suddenly the arm running through her hair tightened and she was pulled back to his chest. Taking a sharp breath in, she saw that angelic face of his waking up. His eyes opened, and his head turned to the woman resting her head on his shoulder, drinking in the slight of her embarrassed and shocked expression.

"Good morning." He said.

"Ah…um, ditto." Ditto? Really? Was she still in grade school?

"This is…an interesting position you've got yourself in."

Right, she still hadn't managed to untangle herself yet. She felt her face heat up in the dark. "Sorry." She said as she once again tried to pull away. He was having none of it though, and he merely switched their positions so that she was lying on her back and he rested himself on his side. Her head rested against his chest. She felt his breath play with her hair.

"It's Monday." She mentioned casually.

"Aa."

"We have school."

"Aa." He repeated tiredly.

Clearly he wasn't a morning person. And also clearly he couldn't take a hint if it smacked him in the face. Sakura sat up and pushed him on his back by his shoulders. She hovered over him for a moment.

"Meaning, we should probably get up."

"You know, normally, I would enjoy having you in this position. But it's,"—he craned his head to see the clock—"five in the morning. We still have another hour." He pulled her down gently, and she was thankful that he was coherent enough to be mindful of her side. "Go back to sleep."

Now the position he had put her in was worse. This time, she really _was_ sprawled on top of him, her upper body anyway. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it was embarrassing. She tried to move away when she heard him growl—growl!—in his half-asleep manner. The fact that she felt it in his chest did nothing to help the aforementioned raging hormones.

She smacked him lightly in the chest, ignoring the look she got from him. "Oh stop it, you big baby, I'm just getting comfortable." She returned to his side and kept her head on his chest. She wondered for a moment what to do with her hands. Her natural instinct told her to go back to that tangled position she'd woken up in. But while she knew he was awake, she couldn't even think to draw her arm across his body. So she found a place for it kind of near her head, barely touching him. Not exactly comfortable, but it would work.

She heard him sigh, a little annoyance seeping into it, and before she had time to wonder what she'd done _this time_ he grabbed a hold of her hand and placed it across his body. With that Sakura smiled and she snuggled in closer. This man must have been a mind reader or something. Did the Sharingan give him that ability? What an enigma.

When he sensed she still hadn't relaxed and gone back to sleep, Sasuke spoke up. "If you'd rather not sleep, there are…_other_ ways to spend the morning." He pushed her further against him for emphasis.

Sakura squeaked and hid her cherry red face in his chest. "I can't hear you! I'm asleep!"

He snorted.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After school that day, she worked again. Still in secret, because he couldn't know what she was doing. He'd stop her. He just didn't realize that not all people had unlimited credit cards or bank accounts. Sakura had to keep working. She wouldn't dare ask Sasuke for the money. There was just no way.

Sakura walked the short distance to her house after work, ignoring how dark it was getting. Sasuke would probably be having fits by now, but she'd make up some lie that would explain why she was kept late.

The construction workers weren't doing a thing to clean up after themselves, Sakura noted with disgust as soon as she stepped through the door. She wasn't in the best mood at all, and on that note it only seemed to worsen. They were forced to turn the electricity off, so Sakura was literally left in the dark. The first thing she did was go up the stairs and grab her penlight from her desk drawer. Quickly, she walked to her mother's study and sat down in the soft leather chair. She took the envelopes on the desk, bills, and stuffed them in her purse. They'd have to pay these off sometime.

Sakura hailed a taxi once she was far enough into the city. She didn't need to bother Sasuke so late.

Once she got to Sasuke's house, the man minding the front gate let her in, immediately recognizing her pink hair. Sakura winced, knowing that Sasuke would be informed of her arrival. She had just wanted to sneak in quietly and make it off to bed. Too bad that couldn't happen.

So far so good, she thought. She had dragged herself up the stairs and made it to her door with no sign of her bedmate. She opened the door of her room and shut it softly behind her, flicking on the lights. A dark figure in one of the armchairs by the television made her start. She leaned back against the door, hand against her chest, when she realized it was only Sasuke.

"You know," she said. "Some would consider sneaking into a girl's room rude."

Sasuke shrugged off the question and stood, walking towards her. "You're home late."

Home. The way he said it made her wish it was true. But this wasn't her home. Her home was almost halfway across town, dirty and black with soot.

He stood only a few inches from her now, and Sakura gave herself the luxury of leaning against him. His arms immediately wrapped around her middle. He attempted to inhale some of her scent through her hair, but all he came up with was the hospital's sterile smell and…smoke?

"Is that smoke?" He asked.

"I stopped by my house to get a few things." And all that statement did was remind her that she had bills to pay and more work to do. Her exhaustion increased tenfold. She extracted herself from him and flopped facedown on her bed, not caring that her shoes were still on or that her clothes smelled like they needed to be burned in acid.

Sleep…

She felt her shoes being taken off gingerly, followed by her socks. Sakura was too far gone by that point to feel the depression in the bed when Sasuke sat down next to her. She gave a soft little sigh when her hair was taken from its tie, and Sasuke massaged her scalp a little. After arranging her in a more comfortable position on her bed, he pulled the covers up to her chin and turned off the lights as he exited the room.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The nightmares came back that night.

It was the reason Sakura woke up two hours earlier than usual, and after the fright she got, she knew that she wouldn't fall back asleep. So she grudgingly got up and took a shower, taking extra care to remove the grungy scent she'd acquired the day before.

The day was mostly routine, except for the fact that Sasuke's fangirls had figured out something was going on between the two. They were giving Sakura a hard time about it, to the point where she wanted to roast them alive.

Really the only abnormality was that there weren't enough emergency rooms for the critical patients. They were having to perform minor surgeries in the patients' rooms. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Sakura, like the days prior, dragged her feet out of the hospital. Sakura noticed that the more chakra she seemed to be using lately, the more pain was focused on her burn. Burns weren't like other injuries, they took awhile to heal, even with chakra. She was just going to have to wait it out. Sakura got a taxi, and didn't realize she hadn't removed her lab coat until the driver asked her, "Where to, Doc?"

"Uchiha Mansion." She didn't have to tell him what road. It was pretty obvious.

On the trip there, she removed her bloodstained white coat and stuffed it in her purse, silently thankful Ino had made her get the larger one.

As soon as she was in her room, she checked for any signs of the Uchiha. Nowadays, it made her strangely suspicious when he was absent. Sakura grabbed her lab coat and stuffed it under her mattress and bolted for the bathroom.

She smelled like blood, and that wouldn't bode well with the Sharingan user.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She told Sasuke that she was going to briefly check on her mother and then go to Ino's.

"It's been awhile since we've had a good, you know, girl talk."

On that note, he let her stay out as long as she wanted. It wasn't like he had any restraints over her actions anyway. But the time came when it was growing late enough for him to be worried. For a school night, Sasuke knew she'd never be this irresponsible. So he called up Ino.

Ino answered after a few rings on her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Ino? It's Sasuke."

"Oh! Hello!"

"Is Sakura there?"

Ino frowned. "No, she isn't."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed with suspicion. He wasn't a genius for nothing, and he knew something was going on right in front of his nose. "That's strange. She told me she was going to your house."

Ino's eyes snapped open as she recognized the commonly used female excuse. "No! I meant that she isn't here right now, she left a few minutes ago." At school tomorrow, Sakura was going to explain why she was having to lie to her tenant.

"Did she say where she was going?" Even though Sasuke already knew the answer.

"Um…I think she said something about dropping by her house." Ino said, hoping the nervousness didn't creep into her voice. Sasuke was one man you didn't want after you.

_Wrong_. He thought.

"I see. Thanks, Ino." Before she had time to respond, Sasuke flipped the phone shut.

A knock resounded on his door. A maid entered once being given the o-k. His onyx eyes narrowed. This was one of the ones that always tried to suck up to him, to get on his good side.

"Uchiha-sama," She spoke, holding something close to her chest. "We were flipping the bed in Sakura-san's room, and we found this under the mattress. I didn't know if it meant anything to you…"

Sasuke took the white bundle from her arms, and it confirmed his suspicions. After dismissing the maid, he sighed dejectedly.

Sometimes, he hated being right.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura exited the taxi, and walked tiredly into the mansion once the gates were open for her. This time, it wasn't only a physical exhaustion, she was mentally tired as well. Not to mention that her side hurt like someone had poured boiling oil over it.

Something had gone wrong. Someone had slipped peanuts into her mother's food. Perhaps it was an accident, but it was written in bold letters on her medical chart: _Allergic to peanuts_.

It caused an anaphylactic reaction, and they barely made it in time with the Epi-pen. Mrs. Haruno was already unconscious when they got to the scene. She couldn't even press the call button for the nurse. The only warning was the flat lined heart monitor. They had shot her with the Epi-pen and started up the defibrillator in seconds. They had barely made it by the skin of their teeth.

Her head rested against her door before she went inside. She was pushing herself harder than usual. Her body demanded rest she couldn't give it. Why was it always about _money_?! She looked around her and cursed the Uchiha for his good fortune.

Sakura opened the door and found something strange. The light was on. Surely the maids would have turned it off when they left. Silently shutting the door behind her, she walked a few steps into the room to find Sasuke sitting on her bed. But she wasn't looking at him though, she was looking in horror at the garment in his arms.

Her bloodstained lab coat.

He looked up at her, not quite coldly, but in kind of a fatherly way. She could see he was fighting not to lose his temper. She could have hurt herself worse, he'd say. He'd restrict her and tell her what to do and that would leave her in a bind with finances and bills and she couldn't even go to work anymore!

That was it.

Game over.

He stood up, and she knew what was coming next. This on top of everything else was just chipping away at her. She couldn't stand it! So, without warning to either him nor herself, Sakura burst into tears and collapsed onto the carpeted ground. She buried her face in his hands, angry at herself for showing this weakness in front of him.

He kneeled next to her and softly brought her to her feet, unsure of what to do in front of a crying woman. So he did the thing he thought might work. He held her around her shoulders, bringing him close to her.

The action had the exact opposite reaction that he wanted.

Sakura began to lose it. "Let me go!" She was hitting his chest now, still sobbing like a child. "Let me go! You don't get it! You'd _never_ get it!"

His eyes widened, and he was able to feel her hitting him, but it didn't hurt as much as she probably wanted it to. She was twisting and thrashing in his arms, and he looked down to see blood from her burn seeping into her clothing. She was trying to hurt him, but she was unconsciously hurting herself.

Not giving her any time to think, he turned her around and pressed her chest up against the nearest wall, pinning her there by her wrists. He stepped behind her so she was flush against him. She was in more of a vulnerable position when she couldn't see him. It was a way to keep her from hurting herself—or him, he was the teensiest bit afraid of being kneed in the crotch—further.

She proceeded to yell and scream obscenities at him, still crying. Still telling him that he'd never understand. He didn't try any soothing motions, though he was tempted to. He waited until her thrashes had subsided and her voice was hoarse, but she was still in tears.

As soon as he thought it was safe, he slowly let her go. He held her to his side and wiped away her tears with his thumb. His efforts were in vain though, because new ones rushed to take their place.

He steered her into the bathroom and sat her down on the rim of the tub. Getting the first aid, he brought it over towards her.

"Sakura," He said gently, knowing in his heart of heart how she was going to react. "I need you to take off your shirt."

Her eyes widened in horror. "Wh—What?"

"You're bleeding."

She looked down to her side. "I can do it myself."

"_Sakura_." He growled.

"I said…!" She growled right back. She began to stand up but he pushed her back down.

As for Sasuke, his most natural instincts were kicking in as his mind demanded to establish his dominance over her. He put his hands on either side of her hips and leaned in too close for her comfort. "I don't care what you said. Now _take_. _Off_. _Your_. _Shirt_."

She squirmed, exactly what he wanted to see. "I can't…"

"Would you like me to do it for you then?" He asked, grabbing the bottom of her shirt. Her hands immediately stopped him.

"Wait! I'm…" She struggled to say the words. "Self-conscious…"

Ah…now we got to the true source of the problem.

"Then hold your shirt against your chest. I'll turn around." He did as he said he would, and turned his back while she took off her top and held it against her chest.

"I'm done." She said timidly, hesitantly.

He turned back around, getting a washcloth and soaking it with warm water from the tub's faucet. "Tell me if it hurts." He told her, kneeling down in front of her. She bit her lip and nodded, pressing her shirt closer to her chest.

He lightly touched the cloth to her when she made a high-pitched sound in her throat and tried to curl in on herself. Sasuke pushed on her knees until her feet were back onto the ground, not having any of it, and waited for a moment.

The pink haired woman took a shaky breath in. "You can keep going." But she didn't open her eyes.

The youngest Uchiha knew that she was holding in her pain. He could see the way it distorted her face and even in the way she tried to turn her face away so he wouldn't see her crying. But he was gentle and patient. If he saw her getting in too much pain, he would stop and wait for her to calm down. When he finally wrapped the last bandage around her stomach, she let out a whoosh of breath she'd been holding.

He told her to get dressed for bed. He left her room so she could have her privacy. And Sakura barely managed to get her shirt back on without agitating her wound. Her shorts were even harder, since she had to bend over.

There was a knock on her door, and Sasuke came in sporting his black pajama pants. He leaned sideways against the doorframe.

"Come." He said it calmly, but even she knew. It wasn't a request. It was a demand.

"But I…"

It was at this point Sasuke lifted his chin, almost daring her to go on. She had to turn her head to the side and blink away the frustrated tears that appeared.

"Coming…" She murmured.

She got a head start walking to his room. She opened the door and stood in the middle of his room. Not long after, she heard him pad in and quietly close the door behind him. He came up behind her until she could feel his body heat.

"Sasuke." She broke the silence. "I'm…sorry." She honestly felt childish for acting the way she did. It was stress, she concluded.

Gently, he turned her around by her shoulders and kept his hands there. He kissed her forehead, and moved down to kiss under her ear, following her neck. She realized that, in his own way, he was apologizing to her as well. "Sorry" wasn't a word that graced his vocabulary often.

He came up eye level with her, still close to her face. He silently asked her permission with his eyes. Sakura closed her eyes in a way that gave him the affirmative.

His lips slanted over hers.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Ahhh!! Finally! FLUFF! Real live FLUFF!! I hope you all are happy. This chapter ended up being nineteen pages long, longer than I expected. I was swooning writing it. Gotta love Sasuke. Whoo boy. So what happens next? Stay tuned for the next chapter, which will be coming out as soon as possible. (Please don't hurt me!) As always, please review and tell me what you think.


	16. Up A Wall

**Author's Notes: **I know that I'm going against tradition, as in not alternating my updating, but I had so many ideas for this chapter that I had to get them all down. Laying Claim's next chapter has been started, so you may see it somewhere in the hopefully not-so-far future. No promises though.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: (SasuSaku) Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but the plot is mine!

Chapter 16: Up A Wall

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I'm so scared right now. My boyfriend wants me to, you know, do it with him. I don't know that I'm ready! It makes me nervous whenever we're together, even if it's in a crowded place. I'm always so worried that he's going to whisk me away somewhere and convince me to give him my virginity. Call me old fashioned, but I really want to be married before anything close to sex happens. I know that he loves me, it's only been recently he's been acting this way, and we've been together for almost three and a half years. I'm just not sure what to think of him right now. And what if I end up pregnant? I'm not ready for a baby! Not that I'd have an abortion or anything, but I'm not ready to take care of a child! I can hardly take care of myself.

Hyperventilating With Worry

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Hyperventilating,

Don't let him force you into anything. If you're scared, then make sure that you aren't alone with him. It might just be a hormone-driven phase, but just to be cautious, I would recommend group dating for awhile. If you want to continue the relationship, I suggest you stand up for your wants and tell him how you feel. It might be hard and a little embarrassing, but if he loves you as much as you say he does, then he'll take your words to heart. Stand up for what you believe in, and don't let anyone take that away from you.

For future reference, if any teen woman finds herself pregnant, I'm posting the number for the pregnancy help line below this advice column. They can give you a lot more personalized help then I can. But whatever you do, don't be afraid. The hotline is anonymous, so you don't have to worry about them calling your parents if that's what you don't want. However, do talk to your parents. While they may be mad at first, they love you and will try to help you however you can. If not a parent, tell a friend whom you really trust. It will do you a lot of good.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_Maybe he forgot? _

That was Uchiha Mikoto's only thought as she waltzed towards her youngest son's room. The Uchiha clan was holding a special affair in a few days, and Sasuke was needed for his input on a few things. Not that he'd actually _give_ any input, but his presence was requested. The resort it would be hosted at was nearly six hours away, so they were taking the jet. And Fugaku with his timeliness had ordered everyone up before the crack of dawn to get everything ready to go. The sun wasn't even up yet and Mikoto yawned as she passed a window.

She reached Sasuke's room, having requested that she get him herself instead of a maid. Her husband was cranky because he, like his son, was not a morning person. Frankly, she'd rather stay out of that line of fire.

Mikoto opened his door softly, smiling at the sight of her son asleep. Without a scowl on his face, he looked downright adorable. She found herself blessed with near perfect children. Mikoto was relieved when they were born. She had counted the ten toes, ten fingers, two legs, three arms…

Wait a tic…

The Uchiha matron took her focus off of her son and stared at the third, decidedly more feminine, arm. It was sprawled across her son's chest, and she followed the arm down to a mass of pink hair snuggled into Sasuke's shoulder.

Realizing what was going on, the dark eyed woman smiled and slowly retreated from the bedroom. She'd make something up to appease her husband.

The door shut softly behind her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was a shock when Sakura burst through his door a little after midmorning wearing only a white bathrobe. The four boys in the room paused the Halo game before addressing her warily.

She looked like she was about to charge at a moment's notice.

She walked over to them and unceremoniously grabbed Sasuke by the scruff of his shirt. She dragged him off into his bathroom to have a private conversation away from his friends.

Naruto, at the most inopportune moment, decided to call out, "Whoo-hoo! Way to go teme!"

He was promptly tackled with a hand to his mouth by none other than Nara Shikamaru, who knew better than he did the power of a ticked off woman.

Meanwhile, Sakura clicked on the light to Sasuke's spacious walk in closet and closed the door. She turned to face him fully, hands on hips in feminine irritation.

"Sasuke," Sakura said slowly with no small hint of malice. "Where are my clothes?"

He blinked at her.

"I mean we've only been technically "going out" for—what?—less than two days and you're already editing my wardrobe. I mean I thought I could trust you a little more than that. Honestly, sneaking in my room and doing _that_ is just…well it's absolutely horrifying to see _that_ in your closet. I mean if you wanted _that_ you could have turned to Ami or someone else from your fanclub, they'd sure go along with it. But let me tell you something _cupcake_," She growled and pointed a finger in his bewildered chest. "You ever pull something like this again and I'm going to string you by your testicles to a _wood chipper_, because I _will not_ dress like _that_ for _any man_! _Got it_?" She emphasized her words with hard pokes. And once she had made sure it had all sunken in she turned on her heel and marched out.

Or…she would have, if not for the arm that fell around her waist. She tried to call him a rather nasty curse word but he covered her mouth before it could slip out. Sasuke turned them both around and then pushed her into the island sitting in the middle of his closet. Sakura scowled at the fact he had her cornered.

Sasuke let go of her waist but kept the hand on her mouth. His confused face looked almost funny as he tried to string a sentence together.

"What," he finally managed. "Are you _talking _about?"

Sakura removed his hand by force. "My clothes are missing!"

"What do you mean?"

She stared at him dryly, like he should have a giant _Dunce_ cap on his head. "My clothes. They're gone. Missing. MIA. Absen—"

"I get it." He interrupted. "Your clothes aren't there."

"Yes."

"So you mean to tell me that there is nothing in your closet?"

Sasuke watched with a droll expression as her face colored. She opened her mouth a few times. "Um…"

A few moments of silence passed, but Sakura was too busy pushing her fingers together in a way she could have only picked up from Hinata.

"Sakura…what exactly is in your closet?"

This made the red in her cheeks spread up to her hairline.

"Remember when I mentioned Ami and your fanclub?"

Sasuke was confused for a moment, but he was sure it showed on his face when it finally caught.

Oh.

Suddenly, his eyes darkened.

_Oh. _

"Sasuke, nothing in there is _decent_! Whoever got me those clothes must have gotten two sizes too small. I can't even breathe! My boobs are hanging out of everything, my butt is showing in those things they call _shorts_, and my underwear drawer is full of…" She finally got a good look at his face…momentarily forgetting whom she was talking to and her mind replayed in horror her last few sentences. "S-Stop that."

"Stop what?"

His arms boxed her in.

"L-Looking at me like…th-that."

"Like what?"

He leaned in closer.

"Like you're going to eat me!" He leaned in closer and she tried to back off, which only resulted in the counter digging painfully in her backside. "_Sasuke!_"

"Hm?"

He stepped in closer to her so that she could feel his body heat even though they weren't actually touching.

"Sasuke." Her voice held traced of nervous panic.

"So, Sakura, I'm was wondering."

She looked up into his eyes almost hesitantly, trying to figure an escape.

Sasuke hooked a finger around the collar of the robe.

"What's under the robe?"

"Sa—nnnnnnnnn." Her exclamation cut off in a throaty moan as his mouth fell on hers. Was it lucky that she was dating an excellent kisser or was it misfortune because of the…practice he would've had to have to get to this level? Her lips worked feverishly against his. Haruno Sakura was not inferior in any way, she was going to keep up with him no matter what it took.

But before she could really get into the sporadic rhythm he had going, he had already left her mouth and was attacking her clavicle. To her horror, the finger he'd wrapped around her collar had tugged the robe until it revealed the strap of her navy tank top. He'd asked what she was wearing underneath, a tank top and boxers, but that didn't mean she necessarily wanted him to see it!

Her hand flew up to cover his, telling him to stop. He backed away enough that he could give her a hooded look. She'd learned a lot of his expressions lately. This one said: Trust me.

So she bit her lip and gave a single nod and was immediately sucking in breath like it was going out of style when his tongue found a sensitive place between her neck and shoulder. He repeated the action, and Sakura's body rocked with a hard shudder.

She hadn't realized that she'd threaded her fingers in his hair or had her other hand halfway up the back of his shirt until she was forced to remove them. He picked her up and sat her on the island she had been leaning against. Sasuke stepped in between her legs and wrapped his arms around her waist, waiting for her to catch her breath. His head was leaning against the same shoulder he'd just ravished, and having him in the same proximity made her heart skip a beat. But in doing so he allowed her to lean her head against his.

"I hate you."

He just laughed through his nose.

There was a moment of silence.

"The guys are probably waiting."

"Yeah."

"You know they're going to start wondering."

"Yeah."

"They're going to start…imagining things."

"Yeah."

"We should probably go out."

Sasuke grumbled something, but nonetheless stepped away and helped her off the island. He started walking towards the door.

"Sasuke?"

Said boy turned and looked at her.

"My clothes?" She looked more than a little embarrassed.

"I'll talk to her. Oh and by the way," he gave her a stare that made her heart stop. "Nice outfit."

Sakura looked down to see the ties of her robe were only hanging onto each other loosely, revealing her less than appropriate outfit. She blushed hotly before yanking the robe closed. Somehow, she found one of Sasuke's stray shoes and chucked it at him. Unfortunately, he was already halfway out of the room, so it bounced harmlessly off the door.

She growled when he laughed at her, but stopped when something registered in her mind.

_Her?_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Come in!" Mikoto called in response to the knock on her door. She sat at her vanity going over her choices of things to wear to the Uchiha's gala. She saw him enter in her mirror, and turned to greet him properly.

"Sasuke!" She swept to him and gave him a hug.

"Mother." He greeted.

"Oh so stoic." She scolded lightly. "You take too much after your father. I knew I should have tried for a girl…"

Which reminded him the reason he was in his parent's room in the first place.

"Mother," he had to wait for her to stop her small rant. "Where are Sakura's clothes?"

"Ah…so that's why you're here." She sat back down at her vanity and Sasuke sat on a nearby armchair. "Well I saw that you two were…romantically involved, so I decided to see what your little girlfriend's style was, since I only saw her half under your bed sheets—don't give me that scandalized look, sweetie—so I just poked my head in her closet. Just for a moment. And since she's bound to be an Uchiha one day I decided to give her the first step any Uchiha lady needs. I mean she can't be known in public as an Uchiha looking like that. So while she was in the shower I drafted a few maids and changed it all out. How does she like it, by the way?"

Drafted. Like it was a military operation.

"Apparently she likes to breathe." Sasuke sighed. "You should really let her pick out her own clothes next time, the ones you gave her are too small."

Mikoto cast her son a sly look. "I thought you'd appreciate that, Sasuke."

"_Mother!_" Sasuke breathed out, horrified.

"All right fine." Mikoto pouted in the way that only Sasuke inherited. Itachi didn't manage to pull it off very well. "I'll take her shopping, since I'll admit what I gave her was a little…over the top. But really you should have seen some of the things she had! It was…_dreary_!"

Sasuke felt a lead weight sink in his stomach as if he knew something very bad was about to happen. "Mother…" he asked slowly, sounding a little strangled. "What did you do with her clothes?"

Mikoto smirked deviously, something both her boys had gotten from her—that's right _her—_and she held up a finger. "See, that's the fun part…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"She _donated_ them?!"

"Yes ma'am, Goodwill should be getting them pretty soon."

Sasuke glared at the maid that had spoken.

Currently, they were in Sakura's room while her entire closet was being emptied as well as her dresser. Sakura sat on the end of her bed still in her bathrobe and Sasuke sat beside her.

Sakura felt a few tears well up in her eyes.

She didn't know if people this rich knew the concept of _comfort clothes_. Clothes that when you were feeling blue, you got in and downed a gallon of ice cream in front of a chick flick. Or clothes that made you feel confident. Or ones that you knew you'd feel pretty in. All of Sakura's comfort clothes were being hauled off to a _consignment shop_.

A tear slipped down to her cheek.

"Hey now, don't cry." Sasuke said, wrapping an arm around her. "It's not that bad."

"I want _my_ clothes baaaaaaack!" She wailed.

"Listen, not all of them are gone." She blinked at him and he thumbed away a few tears. "The guy had to make a few trips anyway to get all the clothes down here. A few boxes are being brought up from the garage."

"What about the other ones?"

"I sent him back to Goodwill to see if he could bargain them back, they should still be together." His thumb swiped a few more tears that escaped without her knowledge. "So see? There's nothing to worry about."

A few more tears escaped, these were cried out of relief, and Sakura fell against him. "Thank you." She said quietly.

A few maids stopped to stare dreamily at the scene and Sasuke glared them all away.

"You do realize that my mother still wants to take you shopping?"

He felt her freeze in his arm.

"As long as I get to pick everything out."

At that point Sasuke grimaced. One should never take two opposing, headstrong women on a shopping trip. He was calling in his sick day.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"No."

"But Sakura—"

"No."

"Please?"

"_No_."

Mikoto stood hands on hips. "Well why not?"

"Just look at it." And the young woman pointed to a scandalously low neckline on the offending designer top.

"Okay so it's a _little_ low, but you would look so good—"

Sakura silenced any further protests with a glare, which caused the Uchiha matron to mutter that she'd been spending too much time around her son. They continued to walk around the mall going into store after store. It wasn't that Sasuke's mother couldn't pick nice clothes—some of the things she'd picked had been top of the line, gorgeous, and way too expensive for a couple pieces of fabric—it was just that Sakura was slightly picky in the things that she wore. She liked function over style, and her "shopping buddy" preferred it the other way around.

They walked into a store Sakura had only been into once, and that was just for fun. It wasn't like she could afford a whole wardrobe from here anyway. And even that one time she felt a little self-conscious while looking around in a t-shirt and jeans standing next to people with Gucci purses and Prada shoes. But Mikoto was immune to any sort of self-consciousness. She walked into the store like she owned the place, and the lady behind the counter greeted her with a familiarity that let Sakura know that the older woman had been here probably many times before.

Mikoto turned to Sakura. "Because we can't seem to agree on anything, I'll let you do your own shopping on one condition." The last three words deflated Sakura's growing eagerness. "You have to show me what you plan to get. Agreed?"

Sakura nodded.

"Then that's settled." She smiled motherly. "And please don't worry about the cost of anything. You know I'll be more than happy to pay for you." And she walked up to the sales lady and began to chat like old friends.

Meanwhile, Sakura was starting to look like a lost little puppy. Where to even begin? She slowly walked towards the shirts and only picked out a few of the seemingly hundreds to choose from.

When her arms were full, her legs hurt, and her back ached, Sakura walked into a dressing room and tried on the first outfit. A beige long-sleeved shirt with five buttons down the top of the garment. That, coupled with white and black striped shorts, and she was ready to model in the mirror.

Except for the fact that the only mirrors were outside of the dressing rooms, probably so that the sales people could comment positively on your choice of clothing. Sakura stepped out and looked at herself. Not too bad, and she was ready to try on something else before her boyfriend's mother smiling at her made her freeze in her tracks.

"So you do have taste."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Haruno Sakura flopped down face first onto her bed, feeling her back scream at her. Her new wardrobe was probably being hauled out of the limo by some poor staff member. Mikoto couldn't resist picking things out for her, but she mellowed out a bit and chose things that Sakura would enjoy wearing in the future. Except for the heels. The three-inch heels were going in the darkest part of her closet, never again to see the light of day. Just thinking about wearing them for any length of time made the arch of her foot hurt, and Sakura groaned miserably.

"That bad, huh?"

The medic jumped, and whipped her head around to see him.

Sasuke was leaning against one of her walls, arms crossed over a navy blue, button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked edible right then and there.

"You have no idea."

She summarized her story for him after she was lying beside him in bed that night. About all the injustices and high prices and whatnot. They couldn't even eat in the food court. At the end of her tale, Sasuke laughed and she felt it vibrate through his chest.

"I'll tell her to be more lenient tomorrow." And then Sasuke realized his mistake as the woman in his arms stiffened in alarm. She raised her head off of his shoulder to look him in the face as best she could in the dark.

"Tomorrow? What's _tomorrow_?" She asked, half panicked.

"I didn't say anything."

"_Sasuke_." She warned. "What. Is. _Tomorrow_?"

"Honestly, Sakura. It's late. You're tired. You're hallucinating. Get some sleep." And he pulled her back to his chest and resolved to just shut up before he got in any more trouble.

She growled at him, and Sasuke could practically feel her seething. But it was awhile before her head stopped racing and she finally managed to drift off to sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"_Dress shopping_?" Sakura asked groggily. She had been awaken by a maid who had received specific orders from Mrs. Uchiha herself. Sakura was to get dressed in something presentable and meet her in the foyer.

So she reluctantly tore herself away from Sasuke—who was still sleeping, but she didn't blame him, it was still _dark_ outside—and got dressed in a set of her new clothes. Mikoto was waiting for her where she said she'd be, not a hair out of place and looking as fresh as the early morning sun even though it was still dark outside.

After that, Sakura was ushered into a waiting limousine and was explained the daily schedule.

"Couldn't we have done this yesterday?" Sakura asked again.

"Oh no. Dresses take special attention. Especially the one we're going to buy today." Sakura raised an eyebrow in question. As far as she knew, no important event was coming up. Mikoto answered her silent question. "The Uchiha's are hosting a gala in a couple of days, and I've already told most of the family about you. They can't wait to meet my son's girlfriend."

_Gala_?

She was going to murder Sasuke.

The moment they stepped into the small shop, it was a flurry of activity.

"Someone get her measurements—"

"—figure out what color to go with—"

"—green would go with her eyes—"

"—_definitely_ not orange—"

"Purple?"

"Too pastel. Maybe we should go for a wine red—"

And from then on, Sakura was being stuffed into dress after dress after dress. Some looked terrible and the saleswomen immediately pulled her out of it even though it wasn't zipped in the back and pulled the next dress for her to try.

"What are we waiting for?" Sakura asked Mikoto, who was sipping tea in a leather armchair watching the scramble with amused eyes.

"An _it_ moment."

" A what?"

Mikoto smiled, and it reached her eyes. "You'll know when it happens."

And almost immediately hands were grabbing the girl at all sides as she was forcibly thrown back into the chaos. She thought she had tried on a few decent dresses, but the saleswomen regarded her for a moment or two when they found a decent dress, as if waiting for something, but then shook their heads and called for the next dress.

It was far past lunchtime, and the two women had been to three different stores where roughly the same thing happened. Sakura was kidnapped and Mrs. Uchiha sat watching her in a corner. She made a few comments now and then on her opinion of the dresses and a few ideas to try, but mostly just sat back and let the women do their jobs.

It was the fifth store they went to, Sakura nearly out of patience, when they finally found it.

It seemed like just another dress she was being forced to try on, but she stepped out of the dressing room and got a good look at herself in the full body mirror.

The dress was a deep green halter top, the kind where the straps seemingly came from underneath the armpits. The bodice had a sweetheart neckline and was form fitting, flowing out gradually when it reached her waist, kind of like a wedding dress. It was embroidered with silver and clear beads, starting heavily at the neckline fading to only one or two before the hem. There was a small train in the back, bunched a little before flowing out. Thankfully the skirt wasn't too poofy or else Sakura would think that she was trying on a wedding dress.

It was so…_beautiful_.

It was Mikoto who first noticed the hiccup of breath and the widened gaze of the pink haired woman. She walked up quietly behind the girl.

"_That_," she said. "Is an _it_ moment."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The day finally came for Mrs. Haruno to be released from the hospital. Sakura was there to guide her into their house, which by that time was nearly finished. She had told her mother about Sasuke and his somewhat eccentric mother that was slowly growing on her. They got takeout and sat on the couch watching reruns of Remington Steele, often remarking how amazingly good looking Pierce Brosnan was in the eighties.

"You sound like you've been having a good time at the Uchiha's."

"I have been, but I'm ready to come home."

"Homesick?"

"More than you know."

And it was decided that Sakura would come back home in the morning. Tonight she would pack her clothes and other belongings, steal one last night from Sasuke, and she'd be home after breakfast.

"I'll keep my cell phone on tonight in case you need me. Don't worry about the time, just call."

"Yes, mother." Mrs. Haruno teased. "Ah, Sakura. You're growing up so fast. Where have the years gone?"

"Couldn't tell you."

Sasuke picked her up in a Lincoln of some sort. The sun had just finished setting when Sakura began to pack her belongings. She carefully folded her new wardrobe, mixed in with her old and recovered wardrobe, rather than stuffing everything in her suitcase. By the time she was finished, she was yawning and her eyelids drooped.

When she made it to Sasuke's room, making absolutely sure her phone was on and charged, she found him waiting for her reading in bed. When she came in, however, he book marked his place and set the thick book on his nightstand. She had just placed her head on the pillow when she got a rather passionate goodnight kiss. Thankfully, Sasuke had already turned out the light, so he was unaware of the many different shades of red splayed across her face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A loud buzzing worked its way through her mind. In her dream, it was a rather large bee, but as she slowly drifted into consciousness she saw her phone nearly vibrating itself off of the nightstand. Apparently, it had woken Sasuke too, because he groaned and sunk further into the covers, grudgingly releasing his hold on Sakura so she could get up.

He watched with tired eyes as she slipped into the bathroom to take the call without disturbing him further. He heard her muffled voice and had just closed his eyes to glide back to sleep when the sound of his bathroom door opening so violently woke him up fully.

Sakura was heading straight for the door, ignoring the way the frosted glass in his bathroom door was still trembling from the force of its opening. She was cursing and nearly sprinting to the door. Sasuke shot out of bed to follow her, the adrenaline in his system driving away all thoughts of sleep from his mind.

With his longer stride, he easily caught up to her. Sasuke recognized the path she was going. The garage.

He unlocked the car closest to them and started up the Lincoln he'd driven last night as Sakura jammed the seatbelt into the buckle. "Hospital. Quickly." She said curtly.

They were silent for the entire way down. Sasuke chose not to say anything at the tears she was trying and failing to hide from him. He pulled into a spot up front and Sakura shot out of the car before he'd stopped completely. Sasuke followed her into the building, ignoring the way the night staff ogled his bare chest. Both of them were, after all, still in their pajamas.

Sakura punched the fifth floor and impatiently waited for the elevator to stop. Once it did, she began to walk briskly down the hall, only stopping when she reached the room she was looking for, room five-fifteen.

She opened the door to see another doctor, a woman, standing over none other than Mrs. Haruno, checking her stats. The doctor took one look at their appearance and raised an eyebrow.

"How is she?" Sakura asked.

"She will be fine. There appears to be no serious injury, but we will have to wait until she wakes up…"

Sakura didn't even wait for the woman to finish before she plopped herself down in the chair beside the bed, waiting for her mother to wake up.

Sasuke was ushered out of the room, and he chose to ignore the color that rose to the woman's cheeks at his state of dress.

"What happened?" He asked authoritatively, as his father had driven into him.

"Apparently there was a robbery. It happens all the time at construction sites. The police believe that Mrs. Haruno was investigating a noise, most likely the back door's glass breaking, when the robber knocked her unconscious." She shrugged. "We won't know any more than that until she wakes up."

He walked back into the room, standing next to Sakura. His hand massaged the nape of her neck in a reassuring motion, but Sakura didn't respond. The Uchiha inaudibly sighed.

"I'm going to go get us some clothes."

She didn't answer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She was sitting in the exact same position when Sasuke returned. He was fully dressed, and carried Sakura's suitcase she'd packed the night before. He didn't doubt that even in her state she wouldn't hesitate to pummel him because he looked through her bras. Not that he'd know which one to pick out anyway.

"I brought your clothes."

No response.

"Sakura, go get dressed. I call you if she wakes up."

Reluctantly, the woman dragged her suitcase into the bathroom. Sasuke leaned against one wall, watching the sunrise through the window. The sky was painted red with faint tints of blue. He just wished he didn't have to witness such a pretty sunrise in a hospital room.

Sakura was coming out of the bathroom when a groan was heard. Both of them froze and looked down towards the bed, where Sakura's mother moved her arm slightly.

"Mama?" Sakura asked, approaching the bed. Sasuke could already see the tears building in her eyes. He hit the nurse call button and told them their patient was waking up.

Sakura watched as her mother opened her eyes a little, eventually staring at her daughter with periwinkle irises.

"Mama?" Sakura asked again.

Mrs. Haruno crinkled her brow a little in confusion, and Sakura's heart thudded with excitement that her mother wasn't hurt. A smile was coming onto her lips slowly. However, she felt as though an arrow had been shot through her chest at her mother's next words.

"Who are you?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Dang I'm good. Yeah, I know this chapter was mostly filler, but I am excused from all accusations because one: there was a heated fluff scene and two: it eventually led somewhere in the end. Plot development people. Not all chapters have to be exciting. I kind of made Mikoto a little eccentric, yet motherly. She probably isn't at all eccentric in the actual Naruto world, but because of her brief appearance, who can really say? Please review and tell me what you think!


	17. Mum's The Word

**Author's Notes: **I know, I know. Some of you want to kill me, in fact, I'm pretty sure most of you want to kill me. But trust me people, I'm neck deep in school. There's a very good reason I'm not updating either of my stories. Thanks to those of you who have been patient (even if you are calling me some very nasty names in your head).

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 17: Mum's The Word

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Annie,

I have an EMERGENCY. A friend of mine has been really depressed lately. I mean, we're talking REALLY depressed. It's almost summer, but she's always wearing long sleeves and those weird wristbands. She hasn't always been like this, but lately I've been worried she's going to commit suicide. She jokes about all the ways to kill herself, and that when she dies she wants to go with a bang. I'm worried she's going to do something really drastic. I can't stand to lose her, we've been friends since elementary school, but I'm worried that this phase might be her last.

Scared and NOT Under Control

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dear Scared,

Here's what you do: Go talk to your counselor anonymously. He or she will talk to the person, and your friend never has to know it's you. Another thing you can do is try everything you can to keep their mind off of killing themselves. Go see a movie, talk about anything else, or just do stuff together. You have to make them see that they have a whole life ahead of them and killing themselves is going to hurt a lot of other people.

Your Friend,

Annie

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Both of them stood there in shock.

And then the tears started.

"Mama?"

"Mama? Sorry hun, but I'm not your mother. My daughter is only three."

"Sasuke, go get the doctor." Sakura said without looking at him. She knew she could probably just press the call button for the nurse, but she needed a moment alone. After hearing the door open and shut, Sakura took a deep breath. "_I'm_ Sakura."

"Wha—That's impossible, you look like you're sixteen."

"Seventeen, and you were attacked in our house. You have amnesia."

"That's ridiculous. I want to see my daughter."

"I am your daughter. Haruno Sakura. I was born on March twenty-eighth, nineteen-ninety-one."

"Anyone could know that. I want to see my husband, where is he?"

That gave Sakura pause. Her mother didn't remember the accident…or anything after it.

"Daddy…left."

"Left where? On a business trip? When is he coming back?"

"No I mean…he's gone. He walked out on us six years ago."

The door opened, revealing Sasuke and a nurse, a few seconds after the screaming started. Mrs. Haruno was a mix of denial, accusations, and tears, calling her only daughter a liar in her grief. The nurse rushed to a cabinet and took out a syringe of something, probably a sedative. At her request, Sasuke guided Sakura—if somewhat forcefully—out of the room. He led them down the hall and into a small lounge.

Throughout the walk, Sakura's mind was spinning. It was hard to even grasp at a decent question to ask herself, all that flashed in front of her mind's eye were images of her (loving, considerate) screaming mother. Of course she didn't remember the accident, the one that had gotten them into this whole mess. And the worst part was she was _this_ close to bursting out into (crazy, hysterical, non-silent) tears in front of Sasuke of all people. The last time she'd cried in front of him she was a basket case. She wouldn't be weak in front of him. Not again.

The moment she sat behind him on the couch, Sakura stood back up again. "I have to go to the restroom."

Sasuke said nothing, and she couldn't see if he had a facial expression or not because she absolutely refused to look at him. Sakura power-walked to the women's restroom and locked the door behind her after making sure there was no one else in there with her.

_Damn him. _Sakura thought as her back hit the wall. She slid down until she hit the floor hard. There was a time when they had been a happy family, and nothing had been wrong. Thinking about that was the catalyst that began her sobs. Sakura had to bite her lip to keep noises from coming out. These walls weren't soundproof.

Her mother didn't even remember her, couldn't even accept her as her daughter despite the obvious physical traits. And to be called a liar? That was salt in the wound. Memories began to flash like painful reminders. Each one felt like a stab to the chest and twisting the blade.

_Guess what Daddy bought you today, Princess?_

_Daddy, Daddy!!! Throw me up high!_

_Come play with me Daddy!_

_What's wrong Daddy?_

_He walked right past her in the hospital. Didn't even spare her a glance. _

"_Sakura," Her mother said to her gently, "Go play upstairs. Mommy and Daddy have grown up things to talk about."_

_No amount of blasting a Walkman in her ears and crying at the same time while her head was buried beneath a pillow could drown out their screaming. _

_Her mother questioning why there was more liquor in the cabinet than usual. _

_The first, but definitely not the last, time he snapped. She could feel the sting an hour later. _

_Her mother muttering, "He's going through a tough time…He'll get over it…We need to be supportive…" While giving Sakura a first hand glimpse of the wonders of makeup. _

_The phase in grade school when she only wore long sleeves and pants, because she couldn't wear anything else out of unadulterated fear. _

_Sakura learned a lot of curse words when he stumbled home drunk. _

_Relief and a slight fear when he started to come home less and less…_

…_then not at all. _

_And then… he appeared one night, saying he'd changed. She was nine. He hadn't changed at all. _

_She still had scars. _

_Sometimes, he laughed when she bled._

_Never brought the law into it. He was holding something over their heads. He knew too much. _

_He left when his blackmail ceased to have any hold. _

_There was no word of him for years…_

_And then… "Hello Sakura."_

_The attacks. _

_He was coming home. _

She hadn't heard the key open the lock, but she saw the door swing open. Immediately, her body locked down and she ceased her sobs so now only silent tears fell. She thought quickly to make up an excuse to a janitor or another staff member. But, of course, it was only fitting that the man who walked in was the same one she was trying to escape.

Sasuke locked the door behind him, walked over, and silently crouched in front of her. She currently had her knees against her chest and was hugging them. He reached out and tucked a loose lock of pink hair behind her ear.

"Way too independent…" He said more to himself, even though she was positive the comment was directed at her. Sakura's breathing was shallow. He studied her for another moment. "You don't have to go through this alone."

The tears began again, and she bit her lip so hard it bled to restrain her sobbing. He reached out to her, but before he could actually touch her she had tackled him into a hug and was sobbing into his chest. Even though he didn't know, couldn't _ever _know, he understood.

And Sakura didn't have to face her demons alone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

She didn't know how long she cried. Sakura just knew that Sasuke had let her sit in his lap for an indeterminable amount of time, and stroked her hair like he didn't have anywhere else he wanted to be. He kissed her temple, her cheek, her shoulder, and pretty much wherever else he could reach. But never her lips.

When the sobs died down, he gave her a tissue and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Crying was exhausting.

…and then a thought occurred to her.

"How did you get the keys to the women's restroom?"

He looked surprised that _that _was the first thing that popped out of her mouth. Sasuke shrugged.

"Magic things happen when you distract the janitors."

She laughed a little bit. His arms tightened around her.

They sat there for a few more minutes in silence, when Sasuke asked, "Do you want to go see your mother again?"

Sakura shook her head. "She's mad enough at me already. It's probably best to wait until she gets some of her memory back." She paused for a second. "Can you drive me home?"

When he nodded, she got off of him so he could stand up. Sakura winced when she spared a glance in the mirror. "I look like I've been to Hell and back." She ran her fingers through her hair to get rid of the crazy look her hair had taken and then snorted, because it wasn't getting any better. "Whatever, let's just go."

He brought her to a black, two-door car that she'd never seen before…anywhere. She guessed it would be put on the market in about another year or so.

The trip to her house was quick, and he had just turned off the ignition when she stopped him from opening his door. "Can you stay here?"

She could have sworn his voice lowered an octave when his eyes narrowed. "Sakura…"

"Please, Sasuke? I need to do this…alone."

He gave her a calculated glance for a few beats, and then relented. "You have ten minutes." Well, relented about as much as an Uchiha could, anyway. And because it had to be hard for him to let his girlfriend go into a house alone where her mother had been attacked, she leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Ten minutes, got it."

As she was shutting the car door behind her, she heard him mutter, "Tease." She was sure he was almost pouting.

Sakura entered the house, complete from the renovations. The only sign that there had been a break-in was the window on the back door, which had been boarded up tightly. She noticed something off about the house, but it may have just been her imagination. After all, it had been nearly two weeks since she had been here for any length of time. It was normally just to collect bills or clothes, and then she was out again.

The policeman she'd talked to concerning the break-in had told her that nothing had been moved, and she should go take a look to make sure nothing had been stolen. At the time, she was too worried about her mother to leave her side. So far, everything looked normal except for the back door and the crime scene tape she'd had to duck under to get in through the front door.

Despite the small voice telling her not to, Sakura unlocked the back door and opened it. The yard didn't have a fence, so that narrowed the suspects down pretty much to the population of the world. Stepping outside, she froze when there was a crunch under her sneaker.

She looked down and her mind went spinning. Glass? But that would mean that the person knocked out the window from the inside, which made no sense at all. That would mean that they'd have to have a key to get inside and—

Oh.

Oh _shit_.

_That_ made more sense, but why he'd done it she couldn't be sure.

Now that she took time to really notice it, there was something off in the line of bushes under the kitchen window. The bushes were normally packed together, so it was hard to tell one from the next, but there was a small gap. It was small enough that someone who hadn't lived in this house a long time (i.e. police officers) wouldn't have noticed. Warily, she walked over and knelt down in front of the gap. The knob to turn on the sprinkler system was here, rusting to an extent that was surprising, but otherwise there was nothing.

She let her fingers run across the ground, looking for any sign that anything was buried. There was a different feeling than dirt, there were patches that felt like coarsely ground coffee beans. She smelled her fingers where the substance had run across and her heart skipped a beat as panic surged through her. _That was_—

"Sakura?"

Said girl yelped and jumped from the bushes, turning to face the figure in the doorway. He looked like he couldn't decide whether she needed an asylum or not.

"Sasuke, don't do that! You just took a decade off my life!" She grasped her heart as a futile attempt to slow it.

He cocked his head at her. "What were you doing in the bushes?"

"I was…" Make him worry? Not make him worry? A possessive Sasuke was pretty damn sexy, but like he had said before, she was too independent for her own good. She spotted the water nozzle. "I was making sure the sprinkler system was still working. I mean, we can't have the lawn dying while we're away." Her voice took on a dramatic tone. "What would the neighbors think?"

He rolled his eyes, accepting her story, and she wondered when it had gotten so easy to lie to him.

"Was anything taken?"

She shook her head, walking inside. "No, it doesn't look like it. The TV, stereo, and DVD player are still here. There's not really anything else valuable in this house."

"So they just attacked your mom and left?" He frowned. "That doesn't make much sense."

"My guess is that my mom surprised him, and he panicked and bolted after he knocked her out." She shrugged. "Humans are confusing creatures."

He laughed once. "No kidding."

As she was locking up, the smell and its meaning kept surfacing in her mind.

_Gunpowder._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura stepped under the nearly scalding water of her shower. Sasuke drove her here after they'd checked the house, just in case anything on the upper story was stolen. There hadn't been, confirming Sakura's suspicions. She had to formulate a plan now, to prepare for the worst.

She guessed that whatever was going to be done would be flashy and big, and she worried that no amount of planning would be enough. She scrubbed her heir roughly with her nails and reluctantly turned the water off, shivering at the near-instant chill. As best she could, Sakura towel-dried herself and her hair before wrapping the towel around herself. She sighed a little, realizing she'd forgotten to bring her clothes in with her.

She got maybe two steps when she suddenly found her back against the wall, staring at a dark-haired man who looked extremely mischievous. She blushed a thousand shades of red, and was suddenly thankful the Uchiha's didn't skimp on the size of their towels. His arms were trapping her in. She gulped at the look in his eyes.

"I think…you owe me for that kiss earlier."

"Um…don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do," he said, kissing her shoulder. "But I look forward to being creative until you finally give in."

"But I have to…" She bit her lip to restrain a groan when his lips attacked her neck.

"It can wait."

"But…"

A finger traced up her spinal cord, and she felt his hand on the back of her neck. He tilted it so he had more access. "Sasuke…" Her voice held a slight warning to it.

"Mmm…just like that, but with more feeling." He said in between nibbling her ear, causing her to shiver. His thumbs were tracing circles on the front of her hips, making her breath hitch.

"_Sasuke_…" This time, her voice came out breathless.

Sasuke held her gaze for a moment, and smirked. "That's better." And then his lips sealed across hers in a way that caused Sakura to see white. She closed her eyes and a moan sounded from the back of her throat. While one of his hands still rested against her hip, the other he had threaded through her hand that wasn't precariously holding onto the towel, pinned against the wall. Sakura couldn't escape even if she wanted to, but somehow the fact that she was trapped turned her on more.

She kissed him back, and Sasuke knew the challenge was on then. He put his hand on the small of her back, making her gasp at the suddenness. He took his chance and slipped his tongue in her mouth, completely blowing Sakura's mind. Even her inner, normally so vocal in her opinions, was incoherent. He pulled her against his body firmly, and she allowed the hand that wasn't on her towel to slip into his hair.

The French kissing was kind of awkward at first, considering this was the first time Sakura had ever done it. But once Sasuke's tongue coaxed her into action she was wrapping her tongue around his like she'd been Frenching for years.

When they pulled back for air, Sakura was dizzy with passion. She clutched at his shirt and he took advantage of her getting her breath back to place lingering kisses across her collarbone and shoulder.

"Have I paid you back yet?"

Sasuke looked contemplative for a moment. "For now."

She gaped at him like a fish. "For now?!" She snorted. "Well now I know not to tease you anymore…ever."

"Actually, I like when you tease. It makes it all the more fun for me when I can get you back for it."

"Perv."

"Only for you." He placed a lingering kiss on her mouth. "You should probably get dressed. I want to take you out to dinner."

She blushed, as he was talking about a real _date_. Because she was currently living with him, they had never been on an actual date. What was the point when they saw each other all the time? "Is that so? Where are we going?"

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"But how will I know what to wear?"

"Well if you want to stay in the towel, that's just fine with—" He laughed when she blushed again and smacked him on the arm. "Seven o'clock." And then he was walking out of her room, leaving her still standing there in her towel. After he shut the door, something occurred to her.

He hadn't told her what to wear.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Uchiha Mikoto was not at all surprised when a maid knocked on her door. She was surprised, however, when said maid told her that _Haruno Sakura_ requested her presence in her room if she had time. She said of course she did, and walked to Sakura's room.

When Sakura opened the door, Mikoto had some inkling of why she'd been called here. The girl was dressed in sweats and looking as panicked and nervous as a rabbit in a fox den. The elder woman was quickly invited inside and explained the situation.

"That boy…" Mikoto muttered. "Okay, I think I have some idea to where he's taking you, so just leave everything up to me. What time are you leaving?"

"Seven."

"He only gave you three hours?" She clucked her tongue. "Well then, we'll have to make do."

The first step was the hair, which Mikoto put loose waves into, and parted her hair to one side. Mikoto pulled a halter-style black dress out of her closet that was longer in the back, but the front would touch just below her knees. It looked expensive, but Mikoto had torn out the tag before she'd gotten to see it. As for the shoes, Sakura was horrified when the older woman pulled out the three-inch black peek-a-boo heels.

"I can't wear those!"

"Why not!"

"My feet are going to be hurting so bad by the end of the night."

Mrs. Uchiha looked amused. "You have to hold onto his arm _sometime_."

Sakura knew that she was going to be cursing like a sailor, but dang they made her legs look good. A swipe of light makeup, some jewelry, and Sakura was ready. Mikoto gave her a black handbag to match and then left, though she said she wanted to see the look on Sasuke's face. Since she had a few minutes before seven, she checked her mail, checked her make up…did anything to keep the nervousness at bay. She didn't know why she was nervous, but she had butterflies. What if she tripped in the heels? Spilled sauce down her dress? Choked?

A knock came at the door, and it surprised her that he knocked in the first place. Erasing all nervousness from her face and checking her makeup one more time. She answered the door, and was rewarded with the slight widening of Sasuke's eyes as he took in her appearance. He himself wore a stunning black suit that fit him to a tee. She imagined that women would be jealous of her tonight, and it made her smile.

"Ready?" He asked. When she nodded, he offered his arm like a gentleman.

The first problem came in front of the grand staircase. Not only was she out of reach of any railing, the stairs were hardwood, which meant they didn't have the traction of carpet. Sakura's arm tightened around Sasuke's a fraction. She took the first step…and then another…and then another…and without even realizing it she was on the last step. Mentally, she did a small victory dance once she hit the marble of the foyer.

Sasuke guided her to the front door, which puzzled her because they usually went down a hall to the garage. She was very surprised when there was a sleek black limousine waiting for them outside. "You got a limo?"

He nodded and guided her into the car.

The ride was short and filled with conversation. When the limo stopped at the restaurant, Sakura didn't recognize the name, but it looked very fancy.

Instead of offering his arm to her, Sasuke instead put an arm around their waist as they were guided to their table. As expected, several women turned their heads, and Sakura could count quite a few glares on their faces. For some reason though, the thought made her feel like she was on Cloud 9.

The dinner was amazing, and it was matched only by the dessert, which was the most sinfully delicious lava cake Sakura had ever tasted in her life. They talked about a lot of things and it never seemed to get boring or awkward.

At the end of the night, Sakura realized she hadn't spilled anything on her dress or choked embarrassingly on her salmon. The one time she tripped—nothing serious, the curb jumped at her from out of nowhere—Sasuke caught her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura took a shower when they returned to the Uchiha manor. She slipped on a more-form-fitting-than-usual red t-shirt with black shorts as sleepwear. She walked into Sasuke's room to find him sitting on his bed after his own shower in his usual black drawstring pants.

Sasuke smirked when she stopped right in front of him. "Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" He asked in a somewhat teasing manner.

"Well…" Sakura looked contemplative, mimicking his look from earlier. An absolutely wicked idea popped into her bed. "I think you've earned one."

With no warning, she pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him, pinning his hands down. She knew that he could flip their positions in an instant, but at the moment she could see he was too surprised to even think about it. His eyes were widened and his lips were parted a little. Sakura gave a rather Uchiha-like smirk at him before dipping down and giving him a peck on the lips. And then another, giving him just enough time to react before pulling away. She kissed his clavicle next, slowly, and then blew air across it. He wasn't tense, but Sakura saw from the pulse in his neck that his heart was beating faster than usual. Nipping her way up his neck, she came nose to nose with her captive with a glint to her eyes. "Having fun yet?" She asked him. Her response was a narrowing of his eyes slightly. That made her grin even more.

Finally, she captured his lips, leaving it chaste for now. Her hands released his so that she could run feather-light touches down his arms and torso. She paid special attention to his well-defined chest and abs, being so bold as to run a finger across one of his nipples. When that finally got him to shudder, she smirked against his mouth and pulled away. She felt the muscles underneath her ripple, and she knew he was going to try to flip them. She held his shoulders down massaging them a little, effectively stilling him. He gave her a suspicious glance, which she gave her most innocent smile to.

Sakura gasped dramatically and looked at the clock. "Wow! It's really getting late! We should probably go to bed, Sasuke." She heard and felt him growl underneath her, but before he could do anything, she was already slipping under the covers and had the lights turned out. "Goodnight, Sa-su-ke-kun."

Sakura had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from downright giggling. He hadn't moved from the position she'd left him in. She called that a success. He was probably formulating revenge in his head right now.

And she looked forward to it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A few days later, Sakura stayed after school to work on the newspaper for the following day. He asked her if she needed a ride, but she declined, saying she was going to see her mother in the hospital and it wasn't that far of a walk. He had looked at her somewhat warily, and she assured him that it was all right. After a quick kiss, she turned back to her computer screen in the newspaper room.

The Dear Annie column was somewhat difficult, because she only had so many allotted words to say so much to people. She knew what it was like to be wondering what to do next, but was always afraid that someone would find out it was her. School personnel would intrude on her problem and it would make its way back home…she didn't want to even think about what would happen after that.

But she answered to the best of her ability, occasionally going online to see what experts had to say. Because Annie was no super genius, she was human, just like everyone else.

The walk to the hospital was about a mile, give or take. The time was used to clear her head, but she began to wonder if her mother would remember her.

Feeling the butterflies, Sakura finally opened the door to her mother's hospital room. She was quite embarrassed to see her mother was with the doctor, talking about something or other. To Sakura's complete and utter shock, her mother's eyes lit up when she saw her daughter standing in the doorway. "Sakura!"

Sakura stood stock-still. "You remember me?"

"Of course I do honey."

The doctor cleared his throat, "She's started to regain parts of her memory back. Mrs. Haruno is not physically hurt, and since she seems to remember you, I see no reason why she can't go home as soon as possible."

"That's wonderful." Sakura said as she strode towards the bed and hugged her mother. "I'm glad you're okay." A few silent tears fell.

"Me too honey. Now all we need is your father and we'll be one big happy family again."

Sakura stiffened and pulled away from the hug just enough so she could see into her mother's eyes. "Momma?" That was either supposed to be cynical, or it was a really sick joke. What really caused Sakura pause was the fact that her mother had sounded sincere.

"Sakura, if you will please come with me to talk about the medicine we need your mother to take…" The doctor urged.

"Uh…sure." And to her mother she said, "I'll be right back." Sakura followed the doctor down the hall. "She hasn't gotten her complete memory back yet, has she?"

The doctor sighed. "No, I'm afraid not. Everything seems to be back except for one thing. She seems to remember that her husband left on some kind of trip, and will be back any day now. At first, she was kind of angry at you for not calling him and telling him she'd been hospitalized. She forgave you once she remembered who you were, in case you were wondering."

"Did you set her straight about my father?"

The doctor shook his head in a hopeless manner. "Every day we tried. Every day we got the same reaction you did. Then she woke up the next morning asking where he was, like she didn't remember the conversation from before at all. Eventually, we decided that so much screaming, anger, and sedatives aren't good for a mentally healing patient. We stopped telling her two days ago."

Sakura signed the prescription and went back to her mother's room. "They said you can come home tomorrow."

"Really? That's wonderful! I'm so sick of this hospital bed. And the food? Atrocious!"

Sakura smiled. "I'm going to call Mrs. Yamanaka to take you home tomorrow while I'm at school, and then I'll go get my things from where I've been staying, and then I'll come home."

"That sounds fine to me." Sakura's mother paused. "Where have you been staying? With Ino?"

"Actually, I've been staying with my boyfriend."

There was a pregnant pause. Sakura prepared for the worst. "_What?!_ You've been staying with a boy?! I did _not_ raise my daughter to go sleeping around with—"

"It's not like that!" Sakura amended quickly. "I've been sleeping in the guest bedroom." And then she thought in her head, _some of the time, anyway._

"I'm still not happy with you, young lady."

"I know."

"When did you get a boyfriend?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Is he cute?"

Sakura blushed. "Yes." _And gorgeous and sexy and muscular and a good kisser and the list goes on…_

"Tall, dark, and handsome?"

"Yes." _Oh my gosh, yes._

"Do I know him?"

"You probably know of him."

"Is he well-off?"

"Yes."

"You're not dating that Hyuuga boy are you?"

"No. I think he and Tenten are getting closer though."

Her mother thought for a moment. "Okay I give up, who is it?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh my…" The elder woman said full of wonder. "Wow. You landed yourself a looker. No wonder you're sleeping with him."

"Mother! I am _not_ sleeping with him!" _Not in the way you're implying, at least._

"I know, I know. I'm just teasing."

They talked for what seemed like forever, and by the time Sakura made it back to the Uchiha manor in a cab she was dead tired. It was late anyway, and Sasuke would probably be in bed or surfing the net. She got ready for bed and carefully opened the door to his room. He was asleep, but thankfully she knew how to get to the bed and his room was clean enough that she wouldn't end up tripping over anything.

Sakura crawled in bed next to him and snuggled into his chest. She sighed in contentment.

"How'd it go at the hospital?"

She winced. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I just got in bed."

"Oh, that's good. And everything went really well. She's gotten most of her memory back now and—" Her story was cut of with a big yawn.

Sasuke kissed her temple. "Go to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Okay…tomorrow…" And from that moment on she took in the feel of Sasuke against her—his warmth, his body, his scent, his arms—until she finally drifted off to sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After school the next day, Sakura had a suitcase laid out on her bed at the Uchiha house. She was going to miss this place a little, the food, the never-ending hot water, the family itself, Sasuke…

She accepted the fact that their relationship was going to be a little weird for awhile. Then again they'd have to act like every normal teenage couple and go out on dates to get some alone time instead of living in the same house. At least she had a new wardrobe for those dates, which, despite her compromises with Mikoto, turned out to be pretty fashionable and elegant. She began to take things down from hangers and was putting a shirt in her bag when the door opened. Sasuke came in and leaned against a wall. He saw the suitcase and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you going somewhere?"

Sakura bit her lip. This was going to be the hardest part of leaving. "Well, my mother was able to come home today since she's feeling better and she's good physically, but she still needs someone to take care of her since they don't know how much of her memory she actually has back and I…" She paused for a moment, realizing she was babbling. "I'm going…home." She couldn't meet his eyes.

There was silence for a few moments before footsteps broke the hush and Sasuke pulled her into his arms. He placed his head on top of hers and sighed in a way that she interpreted as _I wish you didn't have to go_.

"It won't be so bad," Sakura said. "We'll see each other at school, and we can finally go on more actual dates like normal couples."

"Who cares about normal?" He lifted her chin up with his fingers and kissed her softly. This was the kind of kiss that made her melt. If all their other ones had been about passion, this kiss was about romance. It was enough to want to make Sakura's mother move into the Uchiha manor, so that she'd never have to leave.

When he pulled away, Sakura breathed out "Sasuke…"

"Sakura, be careful in that house." When Sakura tilted her head at him, he elaborated. "There has been a bomb and a robber at that house. Just…be careful, okay?"

She kissed him again.

"And Sakura," Sasuke said over his shoulder as he was walking out. "Remember that you're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Sasuke."

With one last glance towards the door, Sakura returned to packing. She was really going to miss this place…

The butler at the door had been nice enough to call her a cab and help her load her things. Mikoto was there to see her off, but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"He's probably sulking in his room. I wouldn't worry about him." Mikoto said as she hugged who she hoped would end up being her future daughter-in-law. "Besides, goodbyes aren't forever." After telling the younger girl she was welcome any time she wanted, Sakura climbed into the cab and began the journey home. She was excited about seeing her mother at home again, but couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Whether it was from leaving the Uchiha's manor or that something was going to happen soon, she couldn't be sure.

The Uchihas had been nice enough to pay her cab fare, so Sakura lugged her things inside of the house. "I'm home!"

"Oh Sakura, honey!" Her mother said to her. "I've got some wonderful news!"

It was at this point Sakura noticed the other figure in the living room…and froze in horror.

"Look who came home today! I just couldn't believe it, but he said the trip ended earlier than expected." Mrs. Haruno ushered Sakura to be closer to him. "Well, I'm going to make us some tea, and then we'll sit down and talk like we used to."

Sakura's father stood up and walked towards his only daughter. "Sakura, it's been too long."

_Not long enough_, she thought, but couldn't form the words.

The elder man, held on to her hair in a forceful grip and crushed her to him so that all the breath was knocked out of her. His back was to his wife, so all she saw was a man hugging his daughter. As soon as Mrs. Haruno was out of earshot, he whispered into her ear.

"You've been a very bad girl, Sakura…"

"There is no way you're going to get away with this."

"You forget that I already have. Twice, in fact."

"Not this time. I will never—"

"Especially this time. I know you know about the gunpowder. But that's only the beginning." He smiled a wicked, cruel smile. "I knew I had to have your cooperation, otherwise my plans wouldn't work. See, there are bombs buried underneath this house. If you _ever_—" he tightened his grip in her hair for emphasis, "—defy me, a few of them might accidentally go off and I will make sure that your mother is inside." He shrugged. "A pity really, but accidents do happen."

"You're heartless."

"Very true. But this way, I have your full cooperation. And if you tell anyone we are anything but one big happy family…" He whispered the next part. "_Boom!_"

"Well isn't this a nice picture?" Mrs. Haruno said as she came into the room. She joined to make it a group hug and closed her eyes. "I'm so happy to have such a loving family."

Mr. Haruno smiled that cruel smile again and pointedly looked at Sakura. "Me too, honey. Me too." Sakura glared at him.

Through the window, the sky was painted with blood.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **Before you say anything, yes, I know how evil I am. Again I'm truly sorry about the wait. School is over with in a few weeks (thank goodness!) so I should have a new chapter up a little bit after that. And what a cliffhanger, huh?! Although I found it funny that the one time I have a writer's block, I just put in the kissing scene with the towel. Finally, some real fluffy goodness! Maybe writer's blocks aren't so bad after all, huh? So now that her dad's back, what is our little heroine to do? And what about Sasuke?! As always, please review and tell me what you think.


	18. A Rock and A Hard Place

**Author's Notes: **Hooray! Finally a new chapter! Sorry! I really really tried to update sooner, but I've had a really awful writer's block! Thanks for being patient. If you weren't patient, thanks for waiting anyway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 18: A Rock and A Hard Place

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura awoke the next morning instinctively tense. It was hard enough imagining that her father was back home for an indeterminable period of time, but not being able to do anything about it? That was worse.

She looked at her alarm clock, shutting it off before it could ring. She rubbed her eyes, because she barely slept last night. Her father was known to go back on his word, and she was scared that he'd activate the bombs whether he was actually provoked to or not. Quickly getting dressed for school, she snuck quietly downstairs, planning to leave for school as early as possible. She might go ballistic if she was kept in this house with _him_ any longer than necessary.

The pink haired girl was almost to the front door when a voice stopped her cold.

"Leaving so soon?"

Damn. She'd forgotten for a moment that her father was a ninja too. One with more experience at that. Sakura looked into the kitchen to find him calmly buttering a piece of toast.

"Have a seat." When she didn't do as he commanded, he narrowed his eyes at her in challenge, reminding her that he was holding something so far over her head that she couldn't touch it even if she had a crane. Hesitantly and never breaking eye contact, Sakura sat across from him.

"I suppose while I'm here we'll have to brush up on your stealth. That was really quite pathetic."

Sakura said nothing, but her hands clenched into fists under the table.

There was something out of place. Sakura's mother was usually up by now, giving Sakura a little breakfast before the girl went to school. She was missing from her usual spot in the kitchen.

"Where's mom?"

The man had the nerve to look innocent. "She's still asleep. Tired out from last night, if you know what I mean." He laughed at her when she narrowed her eyes into slits.

"You rat bastard."

He tsked at her. "Language. You'll have to be punished for that, but we'll worry about that later, won't we?" He looked at the clock. "Now run along to school."

She nearly bolted out of her chair.

"What? No kiss for your old man?"

The pinkette turned with a scathing remark on her tongue, but he had something black in his hand. Panicking a little, she pecked his cheek, fighting the urge to vomit as she did so. After that, she turned and was ready to leave again when he grabbed her wrist. Sakura felt it pop.

"Oh and before you go, I should remind you that no one should know I'm here. Especially not those little friends of yours. Telling them could be very…hazardous. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, _sir_."

"That's better, now you are free to go."

This time, she was out of the door so fast enough to look like a blur.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The first thing that Sakura did when she got to school was seek out Sasuke. She found him, both surprised and thankful that he was alone at his locker. Without warning him first, she came up to him and hugged him around the middle, resting her head on his shoulder. He tensed for a nanosecond before recognizing the pink hair. Her dark haired boyfriend wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her firmly against his body. It was a good thing he knew how to comfort someone, even if he didn't realize consciously that he was doing it.

"What's this all about?" He asked her.

"I just needed a hug." She said, eyes closed. She breathed in his scent, realizing not for the first time how much she missed his constant presence.

He tilted her chin towards him so he could get a better look at her face. She felt his thumb trace a dark circle under her eye. "Didn't get much sleep?"

She shook her head no. Between the nightmare that had become her home and the nightmares plaguing her dreams, she was lucky if she fell asleep for a straight hour. He kissed her on the forehead, and ignored the stares coming from the entire hallway.

Sakura found the stares not so easy to ignore, however. She was starting to feel a little self-conscious standing in the hall like this—in a kind of intimate embrace. She was too focused on people staring that she didn't see the slight concern in Sasuke's onyx eyes, nor did she notice his hand reaching up to cup her face. All Sakura saw was a hand in the corner of her vision—bringing back painful memories, both literally and figuratively—and her entire body flinched awaiting the oncoming blow.

When there was nothing and she realized that she was at school, not at home, Sakura looked a little startled when she brought her eyes up to meet Sasuke's. His eyes were slightly widened at her rather…intense reaction. She'd nearly jerked her way out of his arms after she'd noticed his hand, and his hold was pretty firm to begin with.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Sakura had to blink a couple of times, regaining her composure, before she answered. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it's just the lack of sleep getting to me."

He nodded, though he suspected it was more than that.

"Anyway, we need to get to class so…" She gave him a goodbye kiss that lasted a few seconds. She turned as red as a tomato when she noticed that their once private affairs had now been displayed for the general public. "Bye."

"Bye."

She disappeared through the crowds, not noticing the slight suspicion in her boyfriend's eyes. He knew something was wrong, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Do you think they noticed?" Ino asked, looking through the crack from the door. No one was in the hallway, good.

"No. No one noticed."

The blonde shut the door with a click, turning around to face the dark haired man.

"This is troublesome. We're sneaking out of _lunch_, which isn't actually a crime by the way. And I don't see why you're so bent on hiding this from everyone. They've already figured it out any—" Shikamaru's rant was cut short when a pair of warm lips fell on his. The kiss was chaste, innocent, and completely uncharacteristic of the woman before him. When she pulled away, her blue eyes were filled with laughter.

"And you think _I_ talk too much?" She chided.

He smirked, allowing himself to be backed into the wall, Ino leaned her body against his. "Troublesome woman…" he muttered before wrapping his hand around the back of her neck and pulling her down to meet his lips. Ino groaned against his mouth, placing her hands on his chest. His arms encircled her waist, further pushing her against his body.

Ino's mouth left his and traveled to his neck, where she nipped the skin there. She moved from that to tracing the shell of his ear with her tongue.

Shikamaru knew that his friends liked to be dominant in whatever they did. Sports, academics, games, it didn't matter. The pineapple-haired teen was different though. Ino was the one who liked the control, and he let her, because it was actually a turn on to see her feverishly attacking his neck in an attempt to get some sort of response from him. She could likely do that all day, if he let her.

But really, there was only so much a man could take.

Flipping them suddenly and caging her in between himself and the concrete wall behind her, Shikamaru smirked at her flushed face. She was currently recovering from the gasp she let out when she suddenly found her back against the wall. Her rosy lips were opened slightly, panting, and her chest was rising and falling, pressing against him.

He took one hand and used it to pull her chin towards him.

"My turn." He growled in a low baritone, and then his mouth claimed hers.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura looked around the lunch table, noticing an anomaly. "Has anyone seen Ino?"

Tenten shrugged. "She's probably making out with Shikamaru."

"Wait a minute, they're dating? When did this happen?"

"Well…they're not actually dating…" Hinata said from across Tenten.

"They're just kind of sneaking around hoping no one will notice."

"That's a little silly." Sakura frowned. "And why am I only hearing about this now?"

"Well when it started, you were a little mixed up in your own problems, which is probably why you didn't notice." Tenten said. "And speaking of problems, are you okay? You've been kind of spacey all day."

She couldn't very well tell them her father was back in town and blackmailing her to keep her mouth shut, so she shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've got a lot on my mind is all."

Her two friends didn't look quite convinced, but they left the matter alone nonetheless. They switched the topic to the Chemistry project instead. Sakura and Sasuke had been done for quite awhile now, since they'd had ample time to complete it while living together. Tenten and Neji were getting together this afternoon to finalize it, since they were both so busy with after school clubs and such. Hinata and Naruto were finished, but had yet to turn it in.

Although no one could have missed the blush that spread across the Hyuuga's face when she gave her status report.

Tenten and Sakura exchanged a glance, and then looked back at her. "Spill."

"Um…"

"You and Naruto, huh? Finally…"

"It's not exactly 'me and Naruto.'" Hinata was twiddling her fingers. "He hasn't asked me out yet."

"_Yet_. But he will."

"What that boy needs is a good push in the right direction."

"No!" Hinata suddenly said. She lowered her voice a little. "I want him to ask me out because he wants to, not because he was pressured into it."

The two opened their mouths to argue, but they were silenced by a meaningful look from the white-eyed-girl.

Sakura crossed her arms and snorted. "_Fine_." There was a momentary silence. "I give him a week."

"Are you kidding? It's going to take at least two."

"Come on, Naruto isn't that dense." They paused, and looked over at the boy's table, where Naruto seemed to be inhaling ramen and talking at the same time. Sasuke was over there as well. She would have liked to sit with him, but didn't really want to break up their lunch table. Hinata would probably be all shy around Naruto, and Tenten and Neji would likely get into some kind of debate/fight. "Okay so he's a little dense. I still say he'll ask her out before the week is over, though."

"You wanna bet?"

"The loser has to make the winner an entire batch of chocolate chip cookies."

"Deal."

Hinata rolled her eyes. "Children…"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sasuke ambushed her on her way to Chemistry. One moment she was walking with her friends, and the next she was against the wall in an empty classroom looking into unfathomable onyx eyes.

"Sasuke!" He kissed her, making her forget what she was going to reprimand him about. When the tardy bell rung, however, panic flooded through her and she suddenly remembered. Her record was spotless! "Ah! We're going to be late!"

He rolled his eyes and pulled out a green slip of paper from his back pocket. It was an excuse for both of them being tardy, signed by Kakashi-sensei.

Sakura blinked a few times. "How did you manage that?"

"Kakashi never really looks at what he's signing. Besides, it's not like he cares about being on time." He started to swoop down again. "So where were we…?"

"Not that I don't…" Kiss. "..appreciate the attention…" Kiss. "…or anything…" Kiss. "…but what is this…" Kiss. "…about?"

"What? I can't steal you out of class and kiss you senseless?"

At which point Sakura blushed and tried to look anywhere but his eyes.

"Well we would have seen each other all throughout Chemistry…"

"So you wanted to make out in front of Gai?" He smiled slowly. "I never knew you wanted an audience. I would have happily…"

"That's not what I meant!" Now she was pretty much scarlet, and staring at a fixed point on his shirt.

Gently lifting her chin upwards, supporting most of his weight on the hand resting beside her ear, Sasuke kissed her slowly. Sakura shyly let her tongue trace his lips, and he growled lowly when he opened them for her. She was still very new and inexperienced in French kissing, but when Sasuke was around, he pretty much made up for her lack of talent. But her inexperience didn't stop her from wrapping her tongue around his.

"You're…" Sakura said breathless when they pulled away. "Abnormally good at that."

He smirked and gave a "hn."

"Let's go see a movie tonight." Sasuke suggested. Sakura looked at him.

"You're asking me on a date?"

"Yes."

Sakura blushed. "Be still my heart, I'm going on a real date with Uchiha Sasuke."

He raised an eyebrow. "We've been on dates before."

Sakura shook her head excitedly. "Not like this! We've never gone on a date like a normal couple. You get to actually pick me up from my house and…" She trailed off, thinking about the situation at her house. Her father was there, and Sakura knew that she absolutely did not want her boyfriend to meet him. If she planned it so that she got ready extra early and was waiting for him, then he would never run into her dad and everything would be fine, right? Right. Her father would not destroy her love life.

The pink haired girl's train of thought was interrupted when Sasuke grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards his. "I told you, who cares about being normal?" And he kissed her again. Sakura sighed in contentment.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The trend of ambushing seemed to be popular that day, because Ino was suddenly sitting in a dark classroom after the last bell had rung. How did she even get here anyway?

"Um…hello?"

"We know what you've been doing…Yamanaka Ino…" A silhouette said.

Ino's face turned flat. "Sakura, turn on the lights."

The lights flickered on, blinding the four occupants in the room for a moment. The blonde found herself face to face with her three best friends.

Sakura pouted and crossed her arms. "You're no fun, pig."

"And here we were going to scare a confession out of you…now we have to do it the boring way." Tenten sighed.

"Hinata…what's going on?"

Hinata just looked at Ino. "Um…"

"What do you mean what's going on?!" Sakura yelled. "You've been in a relationship for—what?—months and you've never told us about it!"

Ino blushed to the roots of her hair. "Oh…it was really that obvious?"

Tenten scoffed. "Considering you two have been simultaneously missing at almost every lunch for I don't know how long…yeah, it's obvious."

"Oh…"

"So…spill Ino."

"Is he a good kisser?"

"How did he ask you?"

"What?! She totally asked him!"

"Well Ino?"

"Tell us Ino!"

"Ino!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Coming!" Tenten called as she made her way to the front door. Neji was coming over to her house today to finish their project, which was a shame because she really enjoyed the Hyuuga family's library. And it was much more appealing to the eye than her apartment, which tended to take on a minimalist approach.

The brunette opened the door and came face to face with a stack full of books.

"Neji?" Tenten asked. "Are you in there somewhere?"

The only answer she got was a grunt. Yep, that was Neji alright.

"I could have helped you with those you know. And how did you even knock on the door like that? You must be a freaking ninja or something!"

A very dry, "Har" reached her ears, and Tenten laughed.

"Okay, I know. Bad joke. Come in."

She stepped aside and allowed him to put the books on the coffee table.

"Seriously, if I'd known you were going to have to lug all those books here, we could have just worked at your house again."

"It's fine." The Hyuuga said. "I needed to get out of that house anyway."

Tenten winced for him, remembering the stories that Hinata told them sometimes. The entire Hyuuga family could be a little…well demanding wasn't quite strong enough. Not to mention arrogant. Pushy. Overbearing. If she lived in that house, she'd have killed all of them years ago. And probably with her own hands.

"Do you want anything to drink? Eat?"

"…this is going to be a weird request…but do you have any peach tea?"

Tenten paused. "You like peaches?"

He grunted in an affirmative response.

"I love peaches!" Tenten smiled at him. "I'll be right back."

Five minutes later, she came out of the kitchen with a pitcher of peach tea and two glasses.

For the next two hours, they sat on the couch adding the final details to their paper. At first it was Neji typing, and he had his laptop on his lap on the couch. This meant that to see the screen, Tenten had to lean over, just enough to where their arms brushed. The first time it happened, Neji's typing paused for a beat, and the bun-haired girl was about to withdraw her arm and apologize when a miracle happened. Neji began his typing again, acting like nothing had happened. It was strange at first, and then eventually she was reaching over him to type a word that sounded better. He reached over her for a book or his drink, and it surprisingly wasn't awkward at all. In fact, the times that Tenten took up the typing, she noticed Neji leaning into her as well. She just hoped he didn't notice that her heart rate had sped up.

Finally, after weeks of hard work, they printed out the twenty some-odd page paper. Neji put his laptop in it's case and stood, obviously getting ready to leave.

"You don't have to work and run, you know."

Neji smirked, and Tenten's breath hitched at a sight that not many people were fortunate to see. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you _wanted _me to stay."

"I don't mind. And someone has to keep you occupied while Naruto asks Hinata out. Although he may not do it today. My guess is Thursday, but Ino and Sakura think…" she trailed off at the end, suddenly forgetting who she was talking to. Tenten's head snapped up to see his face.

The white-eyed Hyuuga looked as though he was controlling the urge to strangle someone. His face was tense, and there was a muscle above his right eye that was twitching. "Care to repeat that?"

"Umm…"

"That Naruto…I'm going to kill him." And he stalked towards the front door in angry huff, forgetting all of his belongings.

_No! Hinata has been wanting that dunce to ask her out since forever! She can't get married to her perfect man if he's dead!_

So doing the first thing that popped into her head, Tenten lunged.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura was getting ready for her date, pulling her hair up into a messy bun. The clock said 6:50, which meant she only had about five more minutes to get downstairs and get to the door before her father could. At this point, Sakura didn't want Sasuke to meet her father. Actually, scratch that. If the pink haired girl had her way, Sasuke would never meet her father.

Sakura grabbed her purse and was making her way down the hallway when the doorbell rang. Speeding up, she nearly tripped over herself down the stairs trying to beat a certain someone to the front door.

Midway down the staircase, she froze.

Sasuke stood in the small foyer, talking to her dad. If she hadn't found the situation so horrendous, she would have thought it was amusing that Sasuke was as tall as her father, and that they were able to look eye-to-eye at each other.

"Ah, Sakura. You never told me you had a date tonight."

Sakura took a deep breath to reign in her confidence. She slowly descended the remaining stairs. "Sorry…" she apologized half-heartedly. She moved to stand by Sasuke.

"And where will you be going tonight?"

"We're going to the movies."

"Which movie?"

Sasuke told him, and Mr. Haruno's eyes lightened in amusement.

"A chick flick? I'm impressed with you already, boy!"

Sasuke laced his fingers through Sakura's, noticing that she'd been abnormally quiet the whole time. "Ready to go?" Sakura looked up at him, and he tried to place the emotion in her eyes, but it was gone too soon. She nodded.

They walked out to his car after saying a goodbye to her father. For some unknown reason, Sakura was relieved that Sasuke was driving a less flashy sports car.

The moment that her house was out of sight, Sakura felt like she was breathing easier.

"Sorry that my father kept grilling you."

Sasuke shrugged, and she finally took note of how ruggedly handsome he looked in jeans and a black button-down shirt, the first two buttons at the top open. "He's just doing what any father would do."

Which Sakura supposed was true, she'd just never given it much thought.

"Speaking of," Sasuke began. "I've never heard you talk about your father before."

"He's away a lot…on business." And this time Sakura didn't have to lie to him. Her father was away a lot on business. She didn't know what kind of business, and she was one hundred percent sure that his business wasn't legal, but it was still business nonetheless.

Sasuke nodded. He probably knew the feeling, because his own father was a CEO of a company, and was rarely ever at home. "He was very impressed that I'm taking you to see a chick flick."

"Why are you taking me to see a chick flick? You hate chick flicks."

"But you don't." He slanted his eyes over to her to give her a meaningful look, and Sakura felt herself turning red under his stare. "But next time we go see a movie, _I'm_ picking. And it's going to have a lot of gore."

"Is that a threat?"

The dark haired teen let out a low laugh. "That's a promise."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tenten felt like she'd been hit in the stomach with a baseball bat. She gulped for air and felt a little dizzy. Not to mention that she'd just practically collided with a brick wall.

"…Tenten?"

"Hm…?" Tenten asked, a little dazed. Her vision was starting to come into focus. Where was she anyway? She was lying face down…and was that a face?

Her entire body tensed as she made out the face of Hyuuga Neji, and they were practically nose-to-nose. The way she figured it, when she tackled Neji, he'd instinctively turned around. They collided, he fell backwards, end of story.

Except…not end of story.

"Sorry!" Tenten said as she frantically tried to get off of him. They stood up and didn't look at each other.

Silence…

"I should probably…"

"Oh, right. It's getting late."

"Yeah..."

"Yep."

Silence…

"What is this?"

"That's the necklace I was just wearing? How'd it come off?"

"You really have to ask?"

"Right…"

"Here."

"Where'd you find it?"

"…it was down the front of my shirt."

"Wow…"

Silence…

"I mean…_wow_."

"Tenten?"

"Yes?"

"You talk a lot."

"Well you don't talk _enough_."

"Touché."

"Why Tish! That's French!…Don't raise your eyebrow at me like that. Have you never seen the Addams Family?"

"…no."

"You poor deprived child. I bet you've never even done the snapping to the theme song either."

"You bet correctly."

"That's…well that's just awful!"

"…?"

"Here, I'll show you!"

"That's really okay…"

"Hyuuga Neji…don't tell me you don't know how to snap."

Silence…

"_Seriously_!!! It's going to be a long night then."

Neji gulped.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next evening, Sakura yawned as she walked out of the hospital. What a day. She couldn't really think of anything specifically tiring that had happened, but she felt drained all the same.

Sakura always enjoyed her walk home, no matter how tired she was. It always gave her a chance to think and relax and breath in the warm air. The temperature in Konoha rarely ever dropped below 50 degrees, making her walk home enjoyable even in wintertime. Today, her thought process of choice mostly revolved around her father, and ways to make his life a living Hell without him suspecting it. She tried to stay thinking about this plot, but thoughts of her boyfriend drifted into her head, and she found that this was a more enjoyable thing to think about. His eyes, his hands…his mouth. She shivered a little in the humid air.

She walked up the stairs to her room after a quick hello to her mother, who was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. Sakura usually ate something out on the days she had to work, but she'd probably come down and snack on the leftovers in a few hours.

The phone began to ring, and Sakura picked up from the landline in her room.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

The pink haired girl felt a warm feeling spread in her chest, and knew that this was Sasuke.

"Hey yourself. What's up?"

"Just wanted to talk to you."

Sakura smiled. "We just talked a few hours ago."

"…so? And besides that…what are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing. Tomorrow's my day off."

"Let's go out somewhere."

"Sounds good. Where were you thinking about going?"

"I thought we could—"

Out of the corner of the eye, Sakura saw an arm shoot out and end the call. Snapping her head around, Sakura's green eyes met eyes only too close in shade to hers. She stiffened. How did she not hear him come in?

"That boy…"

No! He was going to bring Sasuke into this!

"Break up with him."

"Break up…? Why?"

"Don't question me!" Her father hissed out. "Just do it!"

Sakura's eyes hardened involuntarily. "I will nev—" And that's as far as she got before his hand came down hard across her cheek.

"You forget your place. Just do as I say and no one will get hurt!"

The phone began to ring again.

"Answer it. And break up with him."

Sakura still looked defiant.

"Do it!" He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked. "Are you forgetting? I hold your life in my hands!" He was now shaking her head hard enough to rattle her teeth. "One more word from you and boom! Boom! Boom!" He laughed. "Now answer it!"

Sakura, still reluctant, picked up the phone. "H-hello?" She sounded a little breathless, and a little pained since her hair was still being tugged out of her scalp.

"Sakura? What happened?"

"I guess the line was just…disconnected."

"Anyway, about tomorrow…"

"I think we should break up." Sakura sputtered out before she could stop it. The hold on her hair eased a little, but her father was still firm. He was trying to tell her "I'm still here."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. And then, "What?"

"It's not you, it's me. I'm just…not ready for this. For any of this."

"That's bullshit."

"I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"Sakura, I'm not…"

"Goodbye, Sasuke."

"Haruno Sakura, don't you dare hang up."

"Bye." She repeated. She could still hear his voice in the receiver as she pulled it away from her ear. She heard it all the way until she set the phone back in its cradle.

Her father let go, finally. "I've been generous so far. You've had too many chances. Next time you defy me, I'll kill both of you. And you know that's the truth."

He left, shutting her door roughly on his way out. It was only when she was sure that he was out of earshot did she allow the first few tears to fall.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Author's Notes: **So, finally, right? This chapter has more Neji/Tenten and Shika/Ino, and I'll probably put some Naruto/Hinata in the next chapter (whenever that may be). I'm really trying to be a good updater, but I've had writer's block for the longest time now. I'm also working on a small Sakura-centric ficlet that I might put up soon, just for some variety. As always, review and tell me what you think.


	19. Cock and Bull

**Author's Notes: **Hehe…um…sorry?

**.**

**.**

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 19: Cock and Bull

**.**

**.**

Dear Annie,

I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life. I've tried a ton of things and there's nothing that I'm really passionate about to seek a career in. Can you help me?

Indecisive

**.**

**.**

Dear Indecisive,

You still have some time to decide what you want to do. If you've tried a ton of stuff, maybe the right job for you hasn't been included. Start by thinking of things you like to do. Maybe there's something in there you can apply to a job. And don't rush yourself. Even in college you don't have to decide your major right away.

Your Friend,

Annie

**.**

**.**

It had bruised.

The place on her cheek where her father had slapped her had turned an ugly shade of yellow and purple. Sakura quickly healed it, leaving only a slightly yellowish tint to her skin. She got dressed and descended the stairs to find her mother making breakfast.

"Good morning sweetie. Pancakes?"

Her mother turned around, and Sakura's appetite left her. There, on her upper arm, was a purple bruise. The fact that it looked exactly like someone had wrapped a hand around her arm and squeezed didn't escape the pink haired girl's notice.

"Momma…what's that?"

Sakura's mother looked down, confused. "Oh this? I think I fell. I can't remember how it happened."

"Mom…did Father do that?"

Sakura's mother looked shocked and horrified at the same time. "What? How could you accuse your father of this? He's been nothing but helpful around here lately!"

"Mom…"

"Don't! I know that your father's been away lately, but that gives you no excuse…I can't believe…" Mrs. Haruno turned back to the stove angrily. "Just go to school."

"But…"

"Go!"

A new, deeper voice entered into the conversation. "My, my, such a ruckus you two make in the mornings." Sakura turned to find her father leaning against the doorframe that lead to the kitchen. He was giving off sort of fatherly amused smile, but Sakura could see the wicked grin beneath. His plans were all going smoothly. "Something wrong?"

Mrs. Haruno turned, and looked relieved to see her husband. "Nothing's wrong."

"Great! Hey Sak, if you're ready I can give you a ride to school."

"I'm fine with wal…" Sakura trailed off, seeing that her mother was giving her such a look of disapproval that she couldn't bear to continue. "Thanks." Sakura amended lowly…hesitantly. "A ride would be…great."

"Good. Let's get going then."

Sakura turned away before she could watch her parents kiss, thinking she might vomit if that happened. Instead, she grabbed her backpack and went outside, reluctantly getting into her father's car. Oh, she knew it was a bad idea, but she also knew that not getting in would be even worse. Not getting in would be disobeying one of his orders. And, both of them knew, that asking her if she would like a ride to school wasn't a question. Everything her father did was about control.

The driver's side door opened and her father got in. He didn't say a word to her. Even when they began to drive he didn't say anything. It was starting to unnerve the pink haired girl. Actually, he was going kind of fast. If he kept up this speed, he was going to miss the turn to her school.

"You need to take a left here…"

"I know."

He passed the turn.

"You missed the turn. School is in the other direction."

"I know that, too."

Panic welled inside of her. She tried to open her door, but he had enabled the child locks. When he hit the highway, she knew that there was nothing she could do.

"Where are you taking me?" The fear made her voice tremble a little bit. It was unlike her to be this scared, but she felt her childhood fears rushing back to her. She was only too aware of what this man was capable of. His silence wasn't easing her fears, either. "Where?"

No…_no_…this couldn't be happening. Sakura turned to the window, seeing other cars pass them. She could break the glass and scream for help and…

"Don't even think about it."

Sakura turned to glare at her father, noticing that they were leaving the city. Buildings of any kind were slowly giving way to rolling hills.

"Where are you taking me?" Sakura repeated.

"It's a pity you healed your face." He was pulling off onto an exit.

Sakura tried to control her breath, but her trembling nerves made her breath ragged. Damn it! She'd spent so many years preparing for the day he would come back. She'd planned on an epic battle and then afterwards having his ass locked up in prison for the rest of his life. She hadn't planned that he would have blackmail material, not to mention a mother who didn't remember a thing.

The car stopped, and Sakura looked around to see that in her musings, she'd failed to notice he'd driven to the middle of an open field. When he got out of the car, Sakura unbuckled her seatbelt as quickly as possible, preparing to make a run for it before he could make it around to the other side of the car. Her fumbling hands finally undid the clasp, but too late.

A hand yanked the passenger's side door open and pulled her out of the car by her hair. Sakura gripped the offending hand and dug her fingernails in it as hard as she could. In response, her father lifted one foot and planted it in her stomach, sending her sprawling to the ground. Sakura got up quickly, prepared to fight, but froze when she saw a black device in his hand.

"I can still detonate this, even though we're nowhere close to home."

"That house will _never_ be your home!"

"Oh really?" Her father had the gall to look amused. "I believe it is already."

"Mom will never let you get away with this."

He grabbed the back of her hair and forced her head back to look at him fully. "Just so you know, I heard that little conversation you two were having in the kitchen this morning. Poor little Sakura, not even your own mother believes you…" He flung her into the car. "But that's beside the point. What did I tell you about telling people about me? About accusing me?"

Since Sakura couldn't think past the pain in her head, she remained silent. She'd already slid to the ground during his tirade.

He backhanded her. "I asked you a question."

Silence.

He grabbed her hair and threw her head into the car again. "What did I tell you?"

"Don't…" Sakura whispered. Her eyes becoming wetter than she would have liked.

"Tell me!"

"You…s-said…don't…"

"Then why did you?" He scoffed. "Apparently you haven't gotten any smarter since I left. After I train you for years…you just never seem to get it." He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and dragged her further from the car. Sakura's head was still a little fuzzy.

"Get up."

Sakura weakly got to her knees, but then fell down again once she got dizzy. Her father buried a shoe in her side, and Sakura screamed.

"Go ahead and scream as much as you want. There's no one around that can hear you."

Sakura again got to her knees, but couldn't push herself any further than that. "Please…" She murmured.

"What was that?"

"Please." She said louder. "Don't do this…"

To her surprise, her father's voice softened. "Sakura…" And then he backhanded her across the mouth, voice hardening again. "That's pathetic."

**.**

**.  
**

Sakura limped into school during lunch hour. In the car, her father made her cover the bruises with foundation, but prohibited her from healing them. It seems like he got a kick out of her mental distress, because if someone saw the bruises than he was going to make sure that she paid for it. He loved making her worry like that.

Sakura plopped down at her lunch table with a check-in pass. Hinata and Tenten were there, but Ino was absent.

"Hey!" Tenten chimed. "Where have you been?"

"I forgot to set my alarm." Judging by their responses, she had apparently done a fantastic job covering the purpling spots on her face. "Where's Ino?"

"Probably in a closet with Shikamaru somewhere."

Sakura smiled. "I don't get it. If everyone knows they're dating, why don't they just go public about it?"

"Hey, if they want to be all spy-like about it, that's up to them. Besides," Tenten said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's more fun this way."

Sakura was just about to say something when Ino sat down across from her pink haired friend looking very…disheveled. Ino attempted to casually smooth out her blond hair.

"Hey Forehead. You missed a terribly boring lecture in Kurenai's class today."

"Yeah, I forgot to set my alarm."

"Anyway, do you have…" Suddenly the blonde stopped, cocking her head sideways and narrowing her eyes at Sakura. Almost as if she realized something was different, but couldn't pick it out.

"Ino?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm just a little spacey." She never stopped giving Sakura that inquisitive look. "Do you have the math notes from two days ago? I missed class that day."

"I wonder why…" Tenten mumbled under her breath. Hinata giggled behind her hand.

"Yeah, here they are." Sakura stood and gathered her things. "Just give them back to me in Chemistry. I nee to go to the bathroom before class starts."

"Sure."

Sakura left the cafeteria and retreated inside of the women's bathroom, thankful it was empty. She looked at her face in the mirror. Ino was one of her oldest friends, so she would know if something about her changed overnight. A few minutes ago, Sakura was scared that her make-up had worn off, but it looked like everything was still in place. Weird.

Sakura put her backpack over one shoulder and left, trying to look as normal as possible. She may as well head to Chemistry. The bell was going to ring soon, anyway.

The teen made her way down the long hallway. She was walking by a classroom when suddenly the door opened and she was pulled inside and slammed against the wall. She knew who it was, of course. Unfortunately, Sasuke's technique of ambushing her before Chemistry wasn't near as sexy as it had been yesterday. Especially considering he'd just slammed her skull into the wall, and her scalp was still sensitive from her beating a few hours ago. He seemed to want to stop taking his anger out on her, and took it out on the wall instead, slamming both of his palms next to her head, trapping her in. Sakura flinched. She looked up into his eyes and found them absolutely furious.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a while. His jaw remained clenched, and his palms were fisting beside her head. When he finally calmed down enough to speak, the first words out of his mouth were, "What the _hell_?"

"Hello."

"Let me rephrase that. What the _hell_ is going on?"

"Look, Sasuke…" Sakura shifted her eyes away from him. "I just can't…see you anymore." Which was the absolute truth.

"Can't or don't want to?"

"I…I don't want to." _I want to see you every day. I want to sleep next to you again. I want you to get me out of that house! _"I guess it's just different now that we're not living together anymore. I just don't feel the same way about you." _I don't want to get you killed. _

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"I'm sorry that…" Sakura trailed off, trying to find the words. "I'm sorry. But this is the way it has to be."

The Uchiha was silent for a few moments. "It's funny…"

Sakura tilted her head, confused.

"Funny that last night, you say that you aren't ready for this, and this morning you're just not in love with me anymore. So which is it?"

Sakura tensed as she realized she'd changed her story due to his prompting and her panic. "I…"

"Better get your story straight, Haruno, because when I find out the truth, there's going to be hell to pay."

Sakura finally looked him in the eyes again, except this time she looked panicked. "You can't!"

The dark haired man looked amused. "I can't? My family runs the police. I can find out anything I want to."

Sakura's expression lost her panic and Sasuke thought that now, she looked downright hopeless. "Why are you doing this?" Her gaze shifted away from him. "Just let it go." Her eyes were glazed over with tears, but she met his gaze anyway. "Please…just let it go."

"Sakura…" Sasuke's voice was a lot calmer now. "I didn't mean to make you cry." Her gaze had already dropped to the ground.

Now he really knew something was wrong. Sakura had never been so reluctant to look him in the eyes before. Even when they pulled pranks on each other, she would always stare him down to prove that she wasn't afraid of him. Now, she couldn't meet his eyes for two seconds.

Sakura pulled away from the wall and felt herself get dizzy. She didn't even know why such a simple action would make her react like that! Before she was consciously aware of what she was doing, she'd already had a death grip on Sasuke's arms, and he'd already wrapped his arms around her to support her. "Sakura! Damn it!"

"I'm okay…just a little dizzy." She was counting down the seconds until she regained her balance. Before she could get her ex-boyfriend to release her, he nudged her chin up with a finger, making her look him in the eyes.

"Are you really okay?" And it was _so _sincere. So different from the mother who didn't believe her or her father using blackmail to get his way. All she had to do was tell him. Tell him everything. He could go to his family. The police that his family was in charge of. They could solve everything.

But she had no doubt that by the time that the authorities made it to her house, her mother would already be dead.

A single tear slipped from her eye at her helplessness. Sasuke brought his thumb to her face, choosing to ignore the way she flinched in his arms, and wiped the tear away with his thumb.

Suddenly, Sakura put both hands against his chest and pushed him away as hard as she could. She was refusing to look at him again. "I'm _fine_." She said forcefully. "I have to go now…" And she raced out the door.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked down at his thumb. His eyes widened when he saw the thick dusting of make-up he found there. In fact, if he'd actually seen Sakura's face after he wiped her tear away, he would have seen that he'd just revealed a purpling spot on her cheek.

**.**

**.  
**

The doorbell rung at the Haruno household pretty late at night. Sakura wondered who would be calling upon them at ten minutes until ten o'clock. Oh well, she had been up anyway, finally finishing the monstrous pile of homework that she'd been assigned. Not to mention the make up work.

Sakura unlocked the door and saw Ino standing on the other side. Sakura froze.

"Ino…" She couldn't be here. If she discovered who was living in this house now, Ino would undoubtedly raise a fuss. She'd go to the police. She'd go to the freaking government if that was what it took. And Sakura knew that Mr. Haruno wouldn't stand for that. Ino was at risk just by being here.

"Hey, sorry for dropping by so late. Can I come in?" Ino asked. Her hair was left down instead of being in its traditional ponytail.

"That's not a good idea." Sakura said, stepping out on the porch and closing the door behind her.

"Okay…" Ino said a little awkwardly. "Look, I just came by to see if you were alright. You were acting a little weird at school today."

"I was just distracted." Sakura said a little quickly.

"I know, and I heard about the break-up with Sasuke. Just so you know, I'm here if you ever need to talk—"

"Can we finish this at school tomorrow?" Sakura asked. The longer she stayed here, the more Ino would be at risk of her father finding her. "It's really late and I need…I need you to leave. Right now. "

Ino's blue eyes betrayed her concern. "Sakura…what's wrong?"

Sakura's worst fears were justified when the door behind her opened and light from the house spilled onto her back.

"Now, Sakura, don't be rude to your guest." A masculine voice said from behind her. "It's Ino, right? I remember you."

Ino's eyes were wide and full of fear. "You…"

"Yep, me." He put a heavy hand on Sakura's shoulder. "So nice of you to drop by."

Sakura began to mouth things to her best friend, knowing that her father couldn't see.

_Ino, run! Now!_

But the blonde was too rooted to the spot. "Mr. Haruno, I…"

Sakura's father ignored her. "Although I'm afraid you know that I'm here now. If you're the same little spitfire that you were all those years ago…well that just won't do at all."

"I…What are you talking about…?"

"See, if you go blabbing your mouth, then they're going to take me away from my wife and my precious _Sakura-chan_." With the hand that was on her shoulder, Mr. Haruno brought his daughter in for a one-armed hug. "Basically…I'm going to have to…"

After saying a short prayer, Sakura made up her mind. She braced her feet and sent her shoulder flying into her father's gut.

"Run, Ino!" Sakura tackled him to the ground. She did her best to stay in control, but her father knew just as much about fighting as she did. Especially about dirty fighting. He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and pushed her into the side of the house.

"I don't think so." And with that, he sat up and pulled out a gun. Sakura lunged again, but was too late. She heard a _thwip_, _thwip_, _thwip_, the sound of three bullets making their way through the silencer to their target. Sakura looked towards the sprinting Ino only to see her hit in the back and fall lifelessly into their front yard.

"No!" Sakura yelled, scrambling to her feet. "Ino!" Before she could run towards her fallen friend, her father grabbed the back of her shirt and tugged her inside the house. He was forced to cover her mouth before she could let out a bloodcurdling cry of her best friend's name. At this point, tears were leaking from her eyes.

Her father pushed her upstairs and shoved her into her room. "I'll deal with you later." And then he shut the door behind him, retreating back down the stairs.

"_No!_" Sakura screamed. She tried to open the door, only to find it locked. She'd forgotten that when he left them, they hadn't bothered to switch all the locks to the inside of the doors. The lock on the outside of the door was what her father used as a control method. Because they thought that he'd be gone for good. Why would they ever need to use them again?

"_Ino! Momma! Someone!_"

Sakura heard the lock sliding back, and Sakura's mother opened the door, looking quite stern.

"Mom! Ino! We have to go help Ino!"

"Your father just left to take Ino to the hospital, she was involved in a drive-by shooting."

"You don't understand!" Sakura said, frustrated. "Dad shot her!"

"Stop this, Sakura. Stop it right now." Mrs. Haruno put one hand on her hip. "I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but you're in for an attitude adjustment if you keep this up. Do you know what your father has done for this family? He's the only thing we've got, Sakura."

"You don't understand…"

"I don't want to hear it. How could you attack him like that when he was only going to help your friend?" Mrs. Haruno clenched her jaw. "You're grounded, Sakura. Straight to school, straight to work, and then straight home. I'm starting to wonder what kind of influence your friends are."

"But…"

"No buts. Maybe you should just stay in here awhile and think about what you've done." And with that, Sakura's mother closed the door again. Sakura heard the lock sliding back into place.

Sakura leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, feeling helpless. Her father had already taken her phone and computer out of her room, saying they were too distracting for her to concentrate on her studies properly. And the window was too high to jump out of. She was stuck.

She cried herself to sleep, curled into a little ball on the floor.

**.**

**.  
**

Sakura stepped into the hospital room with a bouquet of flowers in her hand. Thankfully, Ino was awake, but otherwise the room was empty.

"Hey," Sakura said quietly. In truth, she was probably the last person that Ino wanted to see…

"Hey, Sakura! I was wondering when you were going to come." She frowned. "Is school over already?"

"No, I skipped the last two periods."

"I see…well has my popularity grown any?"

"It's the talk of the school." Sakura said, smiling faintly.

"Sweet." Ino finally noticed the flowers in Sakura's hand. "Are those for me?"

"Yeah." Sakura said, handing them over and sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

"Okay, Forehead, let's see if you're as good at the Language of Flowers as you used to be." Ino looked through the bouquet. "Let's see…Yarrow for healing, good choice, Abor Vitae for friendship and purple Hyacinths…" She paused. "Why are you sorry?"

"It's because of me that you're in this mess!" Sakura ran a frustrated hand through her hair, wincing because of how sore her scalp had become.

"I'm not mad or anything, but why didn't you tell me?"

"If I told you…let's just say he's blackmailing me to keep my mouth shut."

"And your mom?"

"Still can't remember that he was ever abusive. Won't even listen to me when say he is."

"Sorry." Ino muttered.

"But how did you get away?"

"He drove me here, actually. He said that if I stuck with the whole "drive-by shooting" story, he wouldn't kill you. If I say one word, you're dead."

So it was pretty much the same blackmail, only with Sakura it was her mother.

"Have you been lonely here?"

"No. Shikamaru took the day off from school to come keep me company. He left to get something to eat before you walked in. He should be back pretty soon if you want to stick around to say hello."

Sakura shook her head and stood up. "No. I've put you in enough danger just by coming here. But Ino…are you going to be okay?"

"The doctors say I'll make a full recovery. I was only hit twice, and it pretty much just tore through a layer of fat. Relax, Forehead."

Sakura nodded, wanting to get out of there before she started to cry again. "I have to go clock in for work. Maybe I'll see you around."

"See you then."

And Sakura left, closing the door softly behind her. It was a few minutes later when Ino heard the door open again. She didn't look at the person, but she could probably figure out who it was. Besides, she was too busy arranging Sakura's flowers in a plastic vase.

"What took you so long, Shika? I'm starving! Hospital food is absolutely…" The blonde trailed off when she heard the lock slide into place on her door. Panicked, Ino whipped around to see if it was Sakura's father who'd come back and changed his mind.

It wasn't.

"S-Sasuke…what are you…?"

"Yamanaka." The young Uchiha greeted, sitting in the same seat that Sakura had just vacated. "Feeling okay?"

Ino looked at him a little suspiciously. It was strange for stoic Uchiha Sasuke to come here just to inquire about her health. Not to mention the locked door thing.

"Yeah. A little drugged maybe, but fine."

"Good." And then all of his easy manner went out the window. Onyx eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking as if he wasn't about to budge no matter what. "Now, you're going to tell me _exactly_ what's going on."

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Yeah, I know that I'm terribly mean for leaving it there. Anyway, I promise to update the next chapter in sooner than ten months. I mean, that's pretty rediculous. So sorry, and as always, review and tell me what you think. **  
**


	20. Ghost of A Chance

**Author's Notes: **Happy New Year! Let's hope 2011 is a productive year.

**.**

**.**

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 20: Ghost of a Chance

**.**

**.**

Dear Annie,

I've just started a part-time job. I really like the work that I do, but my coworkers are really…unethical. They take their boyfriends into the "employees only" section and…well I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I've also suspected that they've been stealing money recently, but I can't prove anything. I don't know what I should do, since the manager really trusts them and I'm just the new girl. Can you help me?

Honesty is a Difficult Policy

**.**

**.**

Dear Honesty,

No matter what, you should tell your boss about all of this. Even if she doesn't believe you, you can clear your conscience. After she hears you out, if she doesn't do anything then she is dooming her own business. If she ends up firing you for it, then you are probably better off anyway. Relationships with your coworkers are 50 percent of having a healthy career. By telling someone (the manager, security, etc.) you're going to feel a whole lot better about yourself, no matter what happens afterwards.

Your Friend,

Annie

**.**

**.**

Ino sat there in horror, trying to avoid the intense onyx eyes that only an Uchiha could possess. Her hands fisted in the sheets, and she felt so vulnerable right now. All Uchihas did that to people. They knew how to get what they wanted, when they wanted it. It was one of the reasons that they were so powerful and influential as a clan, and it was probably the main reason why they were able to stay so powerful in the police force. Under his stare, Ino was so close to breaking down and telling him _everything_. But she had to keep her jaw clenched, because if she opened it even the slightest, it would all come pouring out. Her resolve got a little easier when she remembered the stakes. She was only alive on one condition—that she keep her mouth shut. If she opened her mouth, not only would she die, but both Sakura and her mother would die as well, and Sakura's father would be in the wind before the incident even appeared on police scanners.

The blonde was sure she wasn't the only one who noticed the beeps of the heart monitor increasing in frequency or the numbers that indicated her blood pressure rising. Sasuke definitely noticed, because she saw him tilt his head towards the heart monitor. He didn't look amused that his intimidation was working, but he did look a little self-assured. Just a few short weeks ago, Ino didn't know how Sakura could spend so much time hating this man. He was handsome and smart and witty, albeit a bit aloof. From the stories Sakura told her, even this coldhearted man managed to show his girlfriend a side of him that the public didn't get to see. A part that was protective and caring and warm. Sakura said that there was nowhere else that she'd rather be than inside of his embrace. When he kissed her, her toes curled and her heart felt like it might burst. She loved him, which was why Ino was both confused and concerned when Sakura broke up with him.

The medic had such strong feelings about him that it would be impossible to just break those ties. Her concern had lead her to Sakura's house yesterday, which in turn lead her straight here to this hospital bed.

"I…I can't tell you, Sasuke."

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Sorry?_" He asked, his voice dropping into a low baritone.

"I can't…"

"And why the hell not?"

"Because I just can't!" Ino's voice rose. "You don't understand what would happen! I…I…" Ino sniffled a little bit. "I want to tell you, Sasuke. I want for all of this to be over, but I can't…" She was crying now, gripping the sheets in her helplessness. She wiped a tear away with the back of one hand, her sobs causing her wounds to throb. "Please, Sasuke, just leave it alone…"

A handkerchief appeared under her nose, and it was just then that Ino noticed that Sasuke stood up and was offering it to her.

"Yamanaka," He said, gentler this time. "Help me help Sakura."

"Then stop asking me!" She took the white handkerchief and rubbed her eyes furiously with it. She then buried her face in her hands. "Please, Sasuke…"

Sasuke sighed. "Fine, you're obviously not going to tell me anything." Ino flinched under his cold tone. "Just tell me this, is Sakura okay?"

But Ino refused to confirm or deny that question. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the blankets, and she schooled her face so nothing would give the true answer away.

There was another sigh, and Sasuke turned to leave. He unlocked the door and opened it, pausing only to look over his shoulder and say, "Feel better, Yamanaka" and then he was gone. It was only now that Ino allowed herself to cry again, in great sobs that made her wrap her arms around herself to try to alleviate some of the pain. Everything hurt. Her wounds. Her heart. Sakura….Oh, Sakura…

The door to her room slid open. "Oi, they were out of the turkey, so I got you…" Shikamaru stopped talking. Upon seeing her condition, he ran over to her, dropping her food in the nearby chair. He grabbed her shoulders lightly. "Ino? Ino tell me what's wrong." In response, she fell into his chest and nestled her head into his shoulder. "Oi Ino! Are you hurt?" His hand stretched towards the _Call Nurse_ button, but a voice made him stop.

"Just hold me, damn it."

Slowly, Shikamaru's form relaxed and he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. She was still crying as hard as she had been when he'd walked in, but it pained him that he didn't know why. Shikamaru kissed her forehead.

"Troublesome…"

**.**

**.**

In Chemistry, Sasuke looked over to his (ex) girlfriend, who was still assigned to sit next to him. She'd broken three pencils in this single class period, and he pretended not to notice the way her hands shook as she reached for another one. She was biting her lip as she furiously took notes, trying to distract herself from whatever was bothering her.

What bothered him was that he could do nothing about it.

In his life, Sasuke had never felt so helpless. With his money and fame, he could do pretty much whatever he wanted. Get whatever he wanted. Bribe whoever he wanted. And since his family ran the police force, he was even a little bit above the law. Even the one time he was arrested, his cousin hadn't taken any of their names, just put them in a holding cell for formality's sake. He was good in genjutsu and excellent in taijutsu. He could fight the mob while seducing their girlfriends away from them at the same time.

But when it came to Sakura.

He had nothing.

She'd never told him anything in depth about herself. He knew her favorites (color, food, etc.) but they really hadn't been far enough along in the relationship for him to really get to know her. He should have asked. Asked anything. Everything. They were sleeping with each other. The only way they could get any closer would be to actually have sex, which he doubted either of them were ready for.

But one thing Sasuke had known from the start was that Sakura could hold her own. He'd underestimated her and had been soaked in tomato sauce as a result. She wasn't afraid to meet a challenge. She wouldn't back down. She was also one of the most stubborn people he'd ever met. Whatever she was hiding, if she didn't want him to know about it, then he wouldn't. It was just that simple.

And he didn't know. Anything. He'd asked his cousin to do a little digging, which came up with a disappointing _nil _of information.

It was then Sasuke decided what he had to do. And he hated it.

**.**

**.**

Sakura volunteered to go to the grocery that night just for a reason to get out of the house. She'd barely gotten permission, but her mother expressed her need for a few things and her father must have been in an unusually good mood. She'd obeyed him to the letter since Ino got shot, so he let her go without a fuss and with only a suspicious glance or two. But he gave her a look that promised pain if she didn't come back with groceries in her arms.

She ran until the house was out of sight, breathing easier once she knew there was no one following her. She was able to do her shopping in relative peace, but a small bit of paranoia never left her.

She left the grocery slightly struggling with her bags, and nearly had a heart attack when someone took a few of them from her. Sakura's eyes snapped up to meet onyx pools that she almost drowned it.

"Sasuke…" She began, doing a quick chakra scan and relaxing when she realized her father was nowhere in the area. She still couldn't be seen with him though.

"Hey," He began uncharacteristically soft, as if he was afraid of scaring her away. Which, by the look on her face, was justified. "Need help?"

"I…" He didn't give her a chance to respond as he took some more bags from her arms and started walking towards her house. He looked back to her when he realized she wasn't walking beside him. "Coming?" He asked, a familiar amusement clouding his voice.

Almost warily, Sakura fell into step beside him.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now." He began.

_That's not true_. Sakura thought. _In fact you couldn't be further from the truth_.

"But I just needed to talk to you for a moment. Since you probably wouldn't pick up the phone if you saw it was me, this seemed like the best idea."

It wouldn't matter if he'd called anyway. Sakura had no access to a landline phone anymore, and she'd gotten to watch as her father broke her cell phone into tiny pieces.

"I'll try to make it quick."

_I wish you didn't have to_.

"I still don't know why we broke up, and I still don't like it. But…I realized something in class today." Sakura looked at him, but he was staring into space in thought. "You're…you're stubborn. So no matter what I say to you, we're not getting back together until you decide to." He gave a single laugh. "You're also stronger than I've been giving you credit for the past few days, so I know that whatever is bothering you, you'll see it through just fine."

Sakura felt tears clouding her eyes. He couldn't keep talking like that. If he talked like that she was going to start bawling in the middle of the street.

"I…still wish you would tell me. It's been killing me not knowing. And I know you're going to hate this, but I've tried to find out on my own…"

_It's not like he could have found anything_. Sakura thought gloomily.

"But I couldn't find anything." He said, confirming Sakura's thoughts. "Although let me tell you that you have some damn loyal friends."

That brought a smile to Sakura's face. Something Sasuke was glad to see.

"I still want to know, but I know you won't tell me until you're ready."

They were nearing her house. Sakura was slowing down in an effort to keep her father from seeing the two of them walking together. She didn't have to worry though, because Sasuke suddenly stopped, and put all the bags in his arms on a bus stop bench. The pinkette turned to see what was the matter, and she found herself staring into most sincere eyes she'd ever seen on Sasuke.

He stepped closer to her. So close that she could smell his familiar scent. That alone made her eyes water, because it made her remember lying in his arms and feeling so _safe_ that it had made her want to cry even then.

"So, until then, this is me backing off to give you the space and the time you need. But I just wanted you to know that if you _ever _need me, I'll be here for you."

Sakura stared up at him, eyes widened. How could he still say that? After all the lies she'd told him. The secret keeping. The pain she knew that breaking up would put him through. Embarrassingly, that single statement caused her bottom lip to wobble and she turned away from him so he wouldn't see the tear slipping down her cheek. She needed him to walk away, because anything else would cause her to break out in tears and fall into his arms until she was sure it was all going to be all right.

She wasn't expecting much more, so she was surprised when Sasuke put a finger under her chin and lifted her face. He didn't comment on the few tears streaking down her face. Instead, he leaned in and kissed her temple. Then he tilted his head slightly.

"I'll be here for you," Sasuke repeated softly in her ear. "Because I love you."

Sakura's body gave a silent sob, and she stubbornly clenched her mouth together so he wouldn't hear her. It was obvious his words had affected her, however, as her tears increased.

"I…" _I love you, Sasuke._ _More than you'll ever know. I need you to save me. I need you to take me away from this. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you! _

"I…have to go." Sakura finished painfully. Before she could fall to pieces in front of him, Sakura grabbed the remainder of her bags and began to quickly walk to her house, her jaw clenched in an effort to keep from sobbing. When she was out of his hearing range, she let out the first sob, and the rest quickly followed. When she was out of his sight, Sakura collapsed onto the sidewalk and fell apart. She couldn't stop crying, remembering his words. She didn't know how long she stayed in a heap on the ground, but when she couldn't cry anymore she stood up and turned back the way she came. Back to where he was.

"I love you, too."

Each step towards home made her heart clench. She wanted it all to be over.

On her front porch, Sakura reached for the door handle, but someone opened it from the inside, spilling light onto the front porch. Angry green eyes stared down at her.

No…

"Have fun disobeying me?" He asked before grabbing her hair and forcefully pulling her inside the house. "Get in here, slut."

**.**

**.**

He'd gotten really angry.

When he dragged her inside the house, he'd dragged her all the way to her room and really let her know how angry he was. She hadn't moved since then, both because her father told her that if she moved there would be hell to pay, and the fact that when she tried to move, her body screamed at her.

He'd left her on the floor with so many bruises on her body that she felt like dying right there.

She was in such an uncomfortable position, too. Her leg was so cramped up, but she couldn't find the energy to correct it. She didn't know how long she'd been laying there, either. She'd fallen unconscious so many times from the pain that it could have been days or a few hours and she wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Every time she tried to adjust her position, her torso screamed at her. She was sure something was broken. Something had to be broken to cause this much pain. She couldn't even heal herself because her father had done something to her chakra and made it go haywire. Even though it felt like she had full chakra reserves, when she reached for it, it was like there wasn't anything there.

Her mouth was dry and her stomach was growling. She was so, so thirsty. There was a drainage of blood from her nose to the back of her throat, and she kept choking on it. At this point, she would have let her father kill her willingly if only he gave her a drink of water first.

Unsurprisingly, her father had mostly left her face alone. He wasn't stupid, after all. He knew that too many absences would be suspicious, so he had to be prepared to let her go back to school. He knew she wasn't about to talk, so that wasn't a problem. In order to release her without her letting her heal herself, he had to make sure her skin was flawless in places that wouldn't be covered by clothes.

And where was her mother? Sakura wondered. It had to be a decent amount of time, since it was daylight outside, and not even her own mother had noticed her absence.

She didn't even remember falling unconscious, but her paranoid senses had her waking up to the sound of movement against the side of her house. Her eyes opened to watch as the window to her room was jimmied open, and Tenten entered her room. When the tomboy saw her, she cussed rather loudly and Sakura winced. She didn't even know if her father was in the house right now.

Tenten scrambled over to her. Sakura saw Hinata climb through the window in a panic as well. She must have known something was terribly wrong from Tenten. The Byakugan widened. Apparently seeing Sakura's pain through her bloodline limit and seeing it up close were completely different.

Sakura wanted to tell them to go, to run for it, but when she opened her mouth all she managed to rasp out was, "Water."

Hinata ran to her bathroom while Tenten sat her up a little. Sakura's breathing hitched as she felt a sharp pain from her ribs. One of them was fractured at the very least. Tenten was freaking out a little, from the way that she was saying "Oh God" over and over again. And Sakura thought that maybe she was crying a little, too.

Hinata came back with a cup of water and as gently as she could put it against Sakura's mouth. The white-eyed girl's hands were shaking a little, and it looked like she was barely holding herself together better than Tenten.

Sakura drank greedily, and Hinata had to go and fill the glass three more times before she was completely satisfied.

"You…" Sakura began, but it hurt so much to talk. She tentatively reached towards Tenten's chakra, in silent permission to ask her if she could use it. When it felt like Tenten's chakra was being shoved towards her, Sakura began to heal the worst of her wounds.

She knit her ribs back together and healed the most painful of her bruises. Finally, she got to a point where she could sit on her own without Tenten's help.

"You guys have to leave." Sakura forced out. Talking still wasn't much fun, considering it hurt and caused her to be out of breath.

"We can't just leave you here!" Tenten said. "Sakura, we…."

"He will kill you both."

"You mean like he almost killed you?"

"He won't kill me yet." Sakura smiled sardonically. "He's not done with me." Sakura groaned. "How long have I been out?"

"It's been three days, Sakura."

"Oh…"

"Sakura, why didn't you tell us?" Hinata asked.

"I couldn't…he's blackmailing me. Besides, you both know what happened to Ino when she found out."

There was silence. "I knew it sounded too suspicious to be a drive-by shooting."

"Surprise." Sakura stated dryly. "Speaking of, where is he?"

Hinata hadn't deactivated her Byakugan, so it was easy to scan for the man she was looking for. Her eyes widened. "He's on his way here. I…I didn't think he'd be back so quickly…"

"Please go." Sakura begged. "I couldn't stand it if something happened to you too."

"We can't just leave you here! We don't even know if you'll survive! We don't even know why this happened in the first place!"

"Sasuke walked me home the other night to tell me he was giving me the space I wanted." She smiled sadly at the memory. "I guess he saw us together."

"He's closer…" Hinata warned.

"Go! Please! And don't say anything. No matter how much you think you can help, it won't!"

There was a bit more pleading, but finally Tenten and Hinata exited back through the window. Sakura dropped herself back onto the floor in the same position that had been causing her problems for three days now.

She heard her father's car pull up, and it was too soon that he was stepping inside of her room. Sakura only hoped Tenten and Hinata got away in time.

Sitting on her bed, her father sighed and looked down at her. "You know you do this to yourself. I don't really like punishing you." He pulled out a water bottle. "I brought you some water, and something to eat. I just wish you'd obey me instead of…" Suddenly, his voice hardened. "_What's that_?" Sakura nervously turned her head to see what had sent him straight to a full-blown rage. When she saw it, she almost cried.

It was the cup Hinata used to give her water.

"All right, Sakura." Her father said, standing up. His eyes were piercing. "If that's how you want to play, fine. Two can play that game."

**.**

**.**

**Private Chat Room 11**

_WeaponsMistress has signed on._

_LadyHyuuga06 has signed on._

_PrincessIno12 has signed on._

**PrincessIno12: **Hey guys! Long time no see!

**WeaponsMistress: **Are you alone?

**PrincessIno12: **Why?

**LadyHyuuga06:** Please just answer her, Ino.

**PrincessIno12: **I'm alone.

**PrincessIno12: **You guys know, don't you?

**WeaponsMistress: **We went to Sakura's house today. It was really bad, Ino.

**PrincessIno12: **Is she all right? What happened?

**LadyHyuuga06: **She's been laying on her bedroom floor for three days.

**LadyHyuuga06: **We have to do something!

**PrincessIno12: **If we tell, Sakura's as good as dead. I'm still in the hospital just because I found out about it.

**PrincessIno12: **Besides, that doesn't make much sense. Sakura's been trying to appease him more so he wouldn't go after her mom or us.

**PrincessIno12: **So why'd he do it?

**WeaponsMistress: **Sakura said Sasuke walked her home the other night.

**WeaponsMistress: **Ino, please. I've never seen anyone so beaten in my life. We have to do something.

**PrincessIno12: **Damn him.

**PrincessIno12: **Just…damn him!

**PrincessIno12: **I need to go make a phone call. Talk to you later.

_PrincessIno12 has signed off._

**.**

**.**

Sakura gasped for breath as she surfaced.

As soon as her father found out that she'd disobeyed her by not only healing herself, but also moving, he was furious. He filled up the bathtub in her room, dragged her to it, and had pushed her face under water. His justification was that if she wanted water, he'd give her all the water she wanted.

Sakura's only consolation was that he thought she'd done it all herself. He didn't suspect Tenten or Hinata.

"How did you heal yourself? I doubt you could have done it alone, so who helped you?"

Sakura looked at him with hardened eyes, too weak to fight him, but just strong enough to get herself into more trouble.

"Go to Hell."

He pushed her back under, and when she came up Sakura was spitting up water.

"Where's Mom?"

"I sent her away for a bit." He looked at her glare, slightly amused. "Oh don't look at me like that. She's fine. Which means I'll have to keep you under constant supervision, since whenever I'm gone your friends slip in."

"You're underestimating me."

"Oops." He said dryly. "My bad."

And he pushed her under again.

**.**

**.**

Sasuke was distractedly working on a paper at his desk when his phone vibrated beside him. The caller ID said _Nara Shikamaru_, so he picked it up with a "Hey."

To his surprise, it was not the genius's voice that greeted him back. It was Ino's.

"_What the hell is the matter with you?_" She screamed at him. He heard her sob once before she continued on her tirade. Now that he knew what to look for, Sasuke noticed her voice was strained, as if she'd started crying and hadn't stopped. "_I told you to leave it alone, didn't I? DIDN'T I?_"

Shikamaru's voice appeared softly in the background, "Ino…"

"No! He deserves every bit of this!" Ino cried some more. "_Do you ever stop being so selfish, Uchiha? Do you even THINK?_" He heard her sobbing.

"Yamanaka," Sasuke began softly, knowing that any other tone of voice would ignite her anger further. "What happened?"

That sobered her up a little bit. "No. You don't even deserve to know." And then the line went dead.

Sasuke could only stare at his phone while the cold feeling of dread rushed through him.

**.**

**.**

Sakura's father kicked her awake the next morning. Looking around, Sakura discovered she was still on her bathroom floor. She must not have regained consciousness that last time. Her father must have gotten bored, which was a relief since the few other times she'd fallen unconscious he'd had a great time experimenting with all the ways to wake her up.

"Get up. You're going to school today."

Once he left, it took the pink haired girl a few times before she could get off the ground. She stumbled into her room and took off her shirt, wincing when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. There were so many bruises on her body and arms. Black and blue marks peppered her skin. Long sleeves and long pants it was, then.

In a last ditch effort to look presentable, Sakura put some makeup on so she looked like she hadn't been beaten to the ground several times over the past few days. Thankfully, she didn't have to cake her face with foundation since her father had left her face alone.

Sakura picked up her backpack, wincing as it slid onto her shoulders. Not only were her arms screaming at her, but the bruises on her shoulders were beginning to throb.

Sakura walked downstairs, trying to keep her legs from buckling underneath her. She'd already taken some aspirin, but that wasn't helping at all.

Her father was in the kitchen, reading the paper in a way that was sickeningly domestic. He looked at her attire and approved that she had everything covered.

"Come home after lunch."

"…I still have two periods after lunch…"

"I don't care. Preparations need to be made before tonight."

Sakura gulped, and her body ran cold. "Tonight?"

"Yes." He put the paper down. "I've got some company coming. Since you insist on disobeying me, they're coming to put you in your place."

"Mom won't stand for this."

He smiled dreamily. "Of course she will, because that's the easiest part. You ran away. You've been acting so strange lately that your _mother_ will definitely corroborate my story. But don't worry, you'll have your way and you won't get caught on the run. In fact, where you're going, no one will ever be able to see you again."

"I'll be…alone?"

He smirked and picked up the paper. "Something like that."

Sakura walked out of the door, numb. Tonight. He was going to kill her tonight. In fact, he was probably only giving her this half-day at school to subtly put her affairs in order and say _goodbye_ to everyone. He probably thought he was doing something nice, but in reality these few hours were going to be her most painful ones yet.

She passed Sasuke's locker and looked at it longingly. She could escape. She could run and run and run until she was sure no one would ever be able to find her. She could live on another continent, learn their language, eat their food, celebrate their holidays. She could become a desert nomad or live in a big city where she'd get a low-class job and stay anonymous for the rest of her life. She could dye her hair and get contacts.

At that moment she passed Sasuke in the hall, and their eyes met. And she knew. She could never live somewhere when it meant being without him. How could she live in emotional pain and paranoia when all she thought about was if he'd met someone new—five years down the line? Ten?—and they were starting their own family. She would never get to be Ino's roommate in college. She'd never be an auntie to Hinata and Naruto's children. She'd never go to Tenten and Neji's wedding.

She would probably never start a family of her own.

Was it worth keeping your life if you didn't live it?

Sakura turned to watch Sasuke walk away from her. She loved him. He made her life richer and exquisite. Even though he was brooding in public and monosyllabic, he'd looked her square in the eye and said "I love you" without any form of hesitation. He meant it.

Which is why although she could ask him and he could help her escape anywhere around the globe, she couldn't bring him into this. He would hate such a caged lifestyle. _And besides_, Sakura thought with a smirk, _that face of his would catch attention no matter where we went_.

So Sakura decided something.

_I'm tired of running_.

**.**

**.**

Sakura's mood was unusually happy at lunch, which unnerved both Tenten and Hinata. Despite the fact that they knew she was still in pain, they laughed along with her until all the problems of the world disappeared.

Sakura smiled when Hinata revealed that Naruto finally asked her out. They were going on a date this Saturday to see a movie. Tenten was _this close_ to asking out Neji, since he obviously wasn't about to make the first move.

"Maybe you should drop some hints, Hinata?" Sakura laughed.

"I _have_. That's the sad part."

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Sakura painfully put her backpack on before going and hugging her friends individually. They were understandably confused.

Sakura shrugged. "Just needed a hug. I'm going to the bathroom, I'll…" Sakura trailed off. She'd what? See them later? Be right back? Those would be too cruel. So in a way that was half humorous and half foreshadowing, she finished, "I'll catch you on the flip side."

Both girls rolled their eyes at the cheesiness, but smiled nonetheless. Sakura hoped they didn't think back on this day and remember those words. Because then they would have regrets. And Sakura didn't want them to think there was something they could have done to stop the inevitable.

Sakura walked into the familiar empty classroom that was Sasuke's favorite spot to drag her to. She set down her things and waited outside the classroom door for him to pass. He was later than usual for some reason, and that fact alone made her nervous. Her anxiety built and she started second guessing herself.

He was walking with Neji, but at the sight of her he left the Hyuuga's company and followed her inside the classroom. He knew to follow her. This was their secret rendezvous spot. Meant for important things. Anything else could be said later since they sat next to each other in Chemistry.

"Sakura?" He asked. Mentally, Sasuke took note of her unusual attire. A red, long sleeve shirt and dark blue jeans. It looked good on her, but it was rather warm out for such hot clothing.

"I know, I know…" Sakura began, smiling a little. "I'm a hypocrite. One moment I'm asking you for space and the next I'm going out of my way to see you."

In his head, Sasuke wasn't exactly calling her a hypocrite, but he was curious as to why she was making an effort to talk to him privately after having avoided him for so long. Of course she probably didn't realize the effect this was having on him. It had taken every ounce of strength to back away and let her have the space she wanted. Now that she was here again, he wanted nothing more than to cart her off to the Uchiha Mansion and stay under the covers until whatever was bothering her was long gone.

"I just…wanted to clarify some things about why we broke up." She paused. "Well, I'm not sure it will clarify anything at all, but there's something you should know. I gave you a few excuses as to why I was ending the relationship. At first, I wasn't ready for it. You're very…intense, but in a very, _very _good way." She felt herself blush. "And I never wanted to break up with you."

Sasuke's eyebrows raised.

"But the one excuse that I gave that was true was the fact that we _can't_ be together, for reasons that I can't tell you. I know that's really frustrating, but I just can't." She snorted. "I can't even tell you what would happen if I did tell you." She looked in his eyes. "One thing that I do know is that there's nothing you could have done to keep us alive. There are too many factors right now, but it's not your fault." Sakura gave a tiny smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Like you said…I'm stubborn."

"Sakura…" Sasuke began, the feeling of dread increasing. This didn't sound like a simple confession.

"I loved waking up beside you and going shopping with your mother and having our offbeat dates even though we both returned to the same room in the end." Apple green eyes blinked to clear away tears. "If things were different I'd even ride on your stupid motorcycle again."

Sakura stepped closer to him until he couldn't have taken a half step forward without touching her. "So I guess what I'm trying to say here is…thank you…for everything." She leaned in so that her lips were next to his ear. "And that I love you."

Sakura leaned up just enough on her toes so her lips brushed his. They stayed like that for a moment before Sasuke's arms wrapped around her waist. In turn, Sakura's arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers threaded themselves in his hair.

Sasuke began to return her kiss. He kissed her, nipping her bottom lip in the process. Sakura pulled away before kissing him multiple times. She felt herself come to life again. Something that had died within her over the past week flared to life again. She was starting to lose faith in her courage, because the love of her life was _here _and had so many connections that surely it would all have to be okay in the end.

But the more she thought about how much she loved him, the more she knew she had to go through with it. She had to make sure that he would _never_ be dragged into this.

By the end of it, Sakura lost track of time. The late bell for Chemistry had already rung, but neither of them moved. Her father was probably furious with her for disobeying him, again, but in the end Sakura found that she didn't really care.

Sakura pulled away and cleared his bangs from his eyes. She stared at him, memorizing every line on his face. The fact that she'd already had those details memorized for some time was comforting. She leaned in and gave him one more slow kiss on the lips, dropping her hand from his face.

"Goodbye, Sasuke."

With every ounce of strength she had, Sakura stepped out of the warm circle of his arms. She blinked to keep the tears from falling, grabbed her things, and walked out the door.

It took Sasuke a moment to gain his bearings, but when her last words finally registered in his head he whipped open the classroom door and rushed out into the hallway to go after her.

But she was already gone.

**.**

**.**

Sakura sat on her bed, feeling nervous. She could hear voices downstairs. There were more than she thought there would have been, although that should have flattered her. At least her father thought she was strong enough that she'd need more than one person to subdue her in case she fought back.

There hadn't been many "preparations." Her father had her heal the bruises on her arms, and then stuck her in a blouse that was a little skimpier that what she would have picked out for herself. He had her reapply her makeup and paint her nails and he made sure she was extra clean.

The implications of what all this meant almost scared her more than the prospect of death.

"Sakura! Get down here!"

At the sound of her name, Sakura stood up and gave one last look around her room. Shakily, she closed the door behind her and slowly descended the stairs. At the bottom, her father looked her over to make sure everything was still in place, but looked distastefully at the necklace she'd adorned. It was the seahorse necklace Sasuke bought for her, and it felt comforting around her neck.

The pink haired girl looked around the room. There were three men, all holding some sort of alcoholic beverage. What surprised her was that there were two people she recognized. They were the ones who had stolen Sasuke's car that day, and inadvertently kidnapped her in the process. The third man she didn't recognize, and he looked scary with a scar running down his face, bulging muscles, and a scraggly beard.

She wondered if they could hear her heart thud in her chest, because that's all Sakura could hear at the moment.

"Gentlemen, I give you Sakura. You're free to do whatever you whatever you want with her, just as long as you finish her in the end."

One of the men raised his eyebrows. "And she knows this?"

"Of course. She won't resist. If she does, punish her as you see fit."

Sakura gulped at the looks in their eyes. They were _enjoying_ this!

"In fact," her father continued. "I'll give you a trial run right now." And he pushed Sakura towards one of the men. He caught her, and she tried to struggle away from him. It was no use, as she was too weak to give a decent fight. She felt a hand on her butt and tried to forcefully push the man away. He gripped her wrist, spun her around, kicked her feet out from under her so that she landed face first on the carpet. It knocked the breath out of her.

Someone else grabbed her other arm and pushed on her back so she couldn't struggle. They grabbed at her shirt and she heard the fabric rip, but not enough so it was completely off her body. Not managing to keep it back, Sakura gave a little whimper.

"Ahem."

All eyes turned to her father as he cleared his throat rather loudly. Sakura looked at him hopefully.

"Do you mind? This is new carpet."

Sakura felt a tear slip down her cheek.

Suddenly, the front door opened and Sakura's mother entered with a suitcase. "I remember everything!" She yelled. "Don't do this!"

Her father rolled his eyes, grabbed her, and put his gun to her head. "Too late. But now you get to watch." He turned back towards the men, who had frozen in place. "Carry on gentlemen, sorry for the interruption."

Sakura didn't know why, but she suddenly felt the urge to fight back. She struggled harder until she managed to punch one man across the jaw. She elbowed someone else. Somehow, she managed to scramble to her feet and face her opponents. They rushed her, and she fought back with everything that she had. She kicked one of them and managed to knock another one unconscious via the back of his neck. The second man who stole Sasuke's car got his feet swiped from underneath him, and he went down, hitting his head on the coffee table as he went. He wouldn't be much of a problem anymore.

Her wounds were hurting, but Sakura still had someone left to face. She grabbed at Sasuke's necklace for courage. The man with the scar jumped at her and tackled her. Immediately after landing on the floor and recovering from the way her vision went white when her head hit the floor, Sakura began repeatedly punching the man. He hit her back of course, but she managed a good hit to his temple that had his eyes rolling up in the back of his head.

The man collapsed on top of her and Sakura let out an "Oof!"

Her muscles were screaming at her, but Sakura pushed him off of her and slowly wriggled out from underneath him.

"That's _enough_."

Not even off the ground yet, Sakura looked towards her father. He had his gun pointed at her and one arm wrapped around her mother holding the detonator. Sakura gulped and stayed very still.

"Sakura," Her mother spoke weakly. "Just do what he says and you won't get hurt."

The girl's heart clenched. "He's going to kill us anyway."

"Not if you just do what he says. Please, Sakura."

Sakura sat there for a moment. Her mother was too afraid to do anything now. In fact, she was practically a dead woman walking, since her every move was to keep her husband happy.

The pink haired girl frowned. That wasn't really living. Was she ready to spend the rest of her life, even if it was only a few minutes long, under her father's thumb? No. She wasn't. The one useful thing he'd inadvertently taught her to do was to fight back. Besides, she was going to die tonight anyway.

"Do what she says, Sakura."

_I'd rather die fighting_.

Subtly, she looked around. Her feet were still trapped under scar-face, so there was no chance of her getting up quickly and starting a fist-fight. There was a heavy lamp on one of the end tables, but she doubted that she'd be able to lift it in her current state. One of the car jackers had a gun, but she doubted…

Sakura blinked. Actually, that was perfect.

"Sakura, _please_." Her mother begged.

"I can't do that." She steeled herself. "I have people to live for now, and I _won't_ live the rest of my life in fear!"

"Then you won't live at all." And he raised the gun.

Sakura yanked her feet from under the scar faced man and dove towards the gun. There was a _thwip_ and she screamed as a bullet lodged itself in her upper back. Her vision went white for a minute and all she could concentrate on was the ultimate sting in her back .

"No!" Sakura's mother yelled.

The pink haired girl heard a struggle behind her and another bullet went off and grazed the right side of her stomach. Sakura crawled towards the gun painfully, every movement of her arms increasing the pain tenfold.

_Thwip_.

Sakura let out a pained cry as there was a flare of pain near her pelvic bone. The first few tears fell, but she was so close to the smooth metal weapon that could end all this…

"Stupid woman!" Her father yelled. Sakura heard metal hitting flesh, and knew from the following sound that her mother had fallen to the ground. Her crawling slowed now, but she was so close. So very close. She reached out an arm and felt the cool metal sliding into her palm. She gave a moment to revel before pulling the weapon out of its hilt.

_Thwip_.

There was a sharp pain too close to her heart and Sakura wept. Her muscles were screaming—_screaming_—at her and each movement felt like she was getting shot over and over again. Sakura rolled onto her back, feeling the blood immediately begin to pool around her. Her vision was blurring and tunneling. So much blood. She'd lost too much blood and knew that no one would be coming to help her now.

She lifted her arm and fired.

_BANG!_

She didn't know if she hit him or not, but her vision went black and the last thing she felt before passing out was a rush of heat against her face.

**.**

**.**

It had taken Sasuke hours to fall asleep, and even then it had been restless. He'd tossed and turned for hours. Wondering what was with Sakura's cryptic words that afternoon. She had to be all right, right?

It seemed like minutes after he'd fallen asleep when the chirping of his phone woke him up again. Groggily, he picked it up and looked at the caller ID.

_Itachi_.

Half-asleep, Sasuke growled. He pressed _ignore_ before putting the phone back on his nightstand, turning over, and burying himself underneath the covers. It was in vain though, as seconds later the phone began to ring again. Agitated, Sasuke picked it up.

"_What?_" He growled.

"Hey," Itachi began, for some reason not sounding like his usual condescending self. At two in the morning, though, Sasuke didn't really care.

"This had better be _damn_ good or I'm hanging up."

"Listen…"

"I'm sure whatever it is can wait until morning." His fingers eased towards the end call button, but his brother's voice stopped him.

"_Sasuke, listen to me damn it!_"

Sasuke paused, mainly because Itachi rarely ever raised his voice, and he sure as hell never called his little brother by his proper name. In fact, now that they weren't bickering and Sasuke was a little bit more awake, his brain registered sirens in the background. Sasuke sat bolt upright, all sleepiness gone.

"Itachi, what's going on?"

Because Itachi would know. He was closer to the family in the police force than Sasuke was. Heck, Itachi had been born at around the same time as a lot of them, so he'd grown up being friends with mostly all of them. They called Itachi if there was something important going on that was especially important or something that hit a little close to home. And while Itachi wasn't exactly part of the police force, he did have special privileges.

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, because you're going to do something stupid, but I think you have a right to know."

A ball of lead dropped into Sasuke's stomach. He knew this was going to be bad.

"We don't know what the situation is right now, but…"

"Just tell me!"

"There were shots fired at the Haruno house…"

He felt his blood run cold and his brain shut down. He couldn't think about anything else. When he finally got some sense into him, Sasuke catapulted himself out of bed and jammed his feet into the closest shoes he could find.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Sasuke…you should know…"

But he didn't let his brother finish that sentence. He hung up and was halfway down the grand stair case in an instant. He ran to the garage and didn't think twice before grabbing the keys to his motorcycle. His heart was clenching in his chest and a sense of foreboding fell over him.

His mind was so focused on _her_ that Sasuke barely remembered starting his motorcycle, racing out of the Uchiha Mansion garage. He didn't even remember putting on his helmet, and the wind whipped across his chest since he hadn't even put a shirt on before racing out.

Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic since it was two in the morning, and any cars on the road he passed with ease. He knew he was speeding, even though he hadn't even glanced at his speedometer the entire ride. He doubted he'd get pulled over. His family had to know what was happening.

Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat, speeding through two cars that were going far too slow for his liking. What exactly was happening? He hadn't given Itachi any chance to explain. Was it possible he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion?

The feeling in his chest told him no.

There was an orange light up ahead, and Sasuke coaxed even more speed out of his bike. He pulled into her neighborhood and what he saw made his heart stop dead in his tracks.

Her house was engulfed in flames. Billowing clouds of smoke rose from the second story, and firefighters were hosing the place down as fast as they could. The Uchiha watched in horror as the bay windows collapsed and the glass shattered.

As soon as he'd ridden as close as he could, Sasuke turned off his bike. He jumped off of it and let it fall into the grass, not even caring if he had to pay for repairs to his beloved motorcycle. He threw his helmet down beside it and ran.

One of his distant cousins tried to stop him as he pushed past the concerned neighbors and into the chaos. He didn't even notice the voices shouting his name, telling him to stay back. All he could think about was Sakura.

Despite the overwhelming heat, Sasuke began to run forward again. This time, someone jumped in front of him and a pair of arms closed around his arms and his stomach, stilling all movement. Sasuke looked up to see familiar black eyes.

"Let me go."

Itachi looked at him sadly. He was having to use every bit of his strength to keep his little brother from rushing into the blaze.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke." Itachi said.

Sasuke went still, not in compliance, but because his entire body locked up in horror. "Itachi…is she…?"

"I'm so…so sorry…"

There was a commotion, and it appeared that one of the firefighters was coming out of the house. Immediately, Itachi blocked Sasuke's line of sight with his body, holding him as tight as he could.

"Don't look Sasuke." Itachi said, thinking only of his brother and forgetting mocking him for just this moment. "Oh God, _please_ don't look."

But Sasuke had to see, because the girl he loved was inside. He strained and struggled against Itachi's hold until he caught a second's glimpse of the scene over Itachi's shoulder. The firefighter had reached the ambulance and was laying her on a stretcher. There were medics surrounding her, shouting things, sticking her with needles and putting a mask on her and scrambling around trying to _save _her.

All he saw was blood.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the long wait. I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer to make up for it, not to mention I just couldn't stop writing! (Finally, right?) Of course, it was a depressing chapter to write, but I actually liked writing the emotional stuff. Anyway, as always, review and tell me what you think!


	21. Stranger Than Fiction

**Author's Notes: **Hooray, another chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to update more now that it's summer.

**.**

**.**

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 21: Stranger Than Fiction

**.**

**.**

Dear Readers,

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the "Dear Annie" column in the paper will be suspended until further notice. We sincerely apologize.

The Editor,

Aburame Shino

**.**

**.**

Sasuke sat in the waiting room, tapping his foot to release some of his nerves. Truthfully, he hadn't been calm since he'd been woken up in the middle of the night two weeks ago. The trauma of watching her house burn and knowing she was _inside_…that was a feeling he doubted he'd ever forget. He'd gone to the hospital, but he hadn't been allowed to see her at all. In fact, no one had been allowed to see her. Even her mother hadn't been allowed, although Mrs. Haruno was dealing with some of her own problems right now. She was suffering severe burns and was recovering from a brain hemorrhage. The police tried to at least go see her to find out what happened, but every time they did the older woman was resting and was not to be disturbed.

After surgery, Sakura had immediately been placed into ICU, where she had remained for the last two weeks. For purposes of the investigation and evidence in case of a trial, the police had been given pictures of the damage to her body. Originally, Sasuke hadn't been allowed to look at these. It wasn't even that he wasn't authorized, but the first time he'd asked his cousin to look at them, the man had turned an unhealthy white and his hand shook. All Sasuke was given was a, "No. Absolutely not." Of course he'd persisted until someone finally gave, _that_ person's face a mix of horror as well. He'd held the file in his hand for a moment, wondering if he really wanted to do this. What could be so bad that even Itachi had nightmares over it?

The moment he looked, he understood.

His knees had gone weak, and he'd collapsed into the nearest chair. Bile rose to his throat and he swallowed painfully to keep it down. These had obviously been taken in between the first healing sessions. He saw the bullet wounds easily because those were marked by stitches. Of course, that was what he had expected to see. What had made his hands shake was everything around the stitches. Blues and purples, reds and yellows. Her back was so discolored that he couldn't tell where one bruise ended and another began. In fact the only thing _peppering_ her back were flashes of skin.

He dragged his eyes up, momentarily pausing at the very obvious hand-shaped bruise on her neck, and then up to her face. She had to be kept on her stomach, so her head was turned to the side, hair splayed out on the pillow. He'd automatically remembered when he would wake up earlier than her when she curled up against him and her hair had been splayed out then, tickling his arm. Of course, then she looked so peaceful that he would brush her hair out of her face and kiss her forehead without her realizing it, occasionally hearing her let out a content sigh in her sleep. Now though, her face was drawn and sickly pale in her drug-induced sleep, and she was obviously in a lot of pain.

Even thinking about it now made his stomach lurch.

What had really gotten him angry was when the doctors said that the bruises on her weren't even recent. None of them were from the day of the fire, but some dated back to a week before the incident. No one could even describe to him how murderous his face had gotten when Sasuke had seen the X-Rays. No broken bones, but plenty of calcium deposits marking where bones had been broken before. Dating back to childhood, the doctors said. It hadn't been the first time she'd ever been beaten like this, and the doctors said that if it hadn't been for the bullet wounds, it wouldn't even have been the worst she'd ever been injured.

The police had gone to Ino to ask questions, but that had proved to be entirely in vain. The blonde had gotten so hysteric that she'd had to be sedated. Even the second time they'd tried to ask her she'd cried so hard that a nurse had kicked them out of her hospital room. That had been two weeks ago, and since then Ino had gotten out of the hospital, but the police were reluctant to ask her again. Hinata and Tenten hadn't needed to be sedated, but they had started crying. They finally revealed that they didn't know much, since their friendship with Sakura had started later. Only Sakura, her mother, and Ino knew the whole story, and all three were unavailable for questioning.

They had placed Sakura in a normal room a few days ago. She'd woken up a few times, but doctors refused to let the police question her yet. Her state was still too fragile, they said. But today…they said if she was up to it today then she was allowed to have visitors. Itachi was in the waiting room with him, and Sasuke suspected that her friends weren't far. It was all Sasuke could do to keep from fidgeting in his seat. He had to force himself to stay calm and still, trying his best to imitate Itachi but failing.

The police were letting Itachi get her story. Sakura would be more comfortable sharing it with him than some complete stranger, and it wasn't like he didn't know what to do. Itachi would report it back to whichever cousin he was working under and they would decide what to do from there.

"Excuse me, Uchiha-san?"

Both brothers looked up to see a nurse at the doorway, looking a little flushed. Sasuke supposed it wasn't everyday that two members of the Uchiha Clan graced your presence, but it was hardly the time to get cocky about his looks now. He stopped fidgeting and gave the nurse his full attention.

"Haruno-san is awake and will see you now." She held up a hand when they both moved to stand up. "Just one."

Itachi looked down at his brother. "Stay here."

Sasuke plopped himself down as gracefully as he could, but that was a little difficult considering he was more than a little put out that Itachi got to see her first. It was for the best, though, he reasoned. She might get emotional if she saw him, or _he_ might get emotional, and that wouldn't get anyone anywhere. By emotional, he'd probably get agitated and then do something or say something. It was for the best…

Then why did he feel like this? Like he needed to go run around the building to let out some energy. It was because she was awake…and he knew she was awake…yeah, that's it. His fingers were twitching for something to take his mind off of her. He needed a distraction, at least until Itachi got out of the room. Until he could go see her for himself. Hold her in his arms to make sure that she was really there and alive.

"Something bothering you, Sasuke?"

Said man turned towards the entrance to the waiting room and turned his best glare onto the blonde who entered. Ino sat down in a chair across from him and Sasuke stopped his tapping foot. He hadn't even realized the fidgeting had started again. Shikamaru walked in a few minutes later with coffee—the decent coffee-shop kind, not the hospital shit he'd been drinking for the last hour—for himself and his girlfriend. He sat down as well. Sasuke had to hide his surprise that Hinata and Tenten weren't there as well, not to mention Neji and Naruto.

"Have you heard anything?" Ino asked. The teasing tone from earlier had vanished, and now she looked at him with sincere eyes.

"Itachi is talking with her now."

The blonde nodded. "Good. It's almost over, then."

The Uchiha opened his mouth to ask her _what_ was almost over, but Hinata and Tenten came into the room at that moment chatting, trying to keep the worry out of their voice but failing. They asked Ino for news and she relayed what Sasuke had just told her. They took seats near the blonde, and Sasuke noticed the arrival of Naruto and Neji out of the corner of his eye. He tilted his head upwards in a greeting, and they nodded back at him, Naruto giving out a "hey."

"—the flip side." Hinata sighed.

Sasuke dragged himself back to the girls' conversation, because listening to them was far more distracting than being trapped in his own head.

Ino rolled her eyes at whatever Hinata just said. "That's so corny. 'Catch you on the flip side?' Who even says that anymore?"

Tenten gave a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That's the last thing she said to us before she ditched school."

"Why _did_ she ditch school?" Ino asked. "I mean, that's not a very Sakura-like thing to do. She's too much of a goody-two shoes."

"I don't know, but she _was_ acting strangely. She was happy…and considering everything that happened…" The white-eyed girl trailed off.

"Everything that happened?" Sasuke asked. The women jumped a little, apparently having been in their own little world and not realizing anyone had been listening in. They averted their eyes from him almost immediately.

"Yeah…" Was Hinata's only explanation.

"She was just really quirky on the day she…" Tenten paused. "On that day. Hugged us both at lunch even though we had the next period together."

"You think she planned on skipping?"

"I don't know. But that's silly. It's not like she knew her life was in danger or anything."

They kept talking, but Sasuke didn't hear a word after that. He had _frozen_ in his chair, his brain working around what he'd just heard. She'd talked to him after lunch…he'd been replaying the conversation over and over in his head for the past two weeks, holding onto his last image of her. But now…

"…_nothing you could have done to keep us alive."_

She'd said that…that day. He'd known that, but he'd been too distraught to really analyze what she'd said. His mind was probably playing tricks on him, because now when he thought about it…

"…_nothing you could have done to keep me alive."_

"'_Catch you on the flip side.'"_

"_That was the last thing she said to us…" _The flip side of what?…Life?

Sasuke abruptly stood up, and he must have looked pretty concerned because everyone in the room looked at him strangely. He walked for as long as he could stand to, and then halfway to her room he broke out into a jog. He finally knew…Their last conversation, he finally knew what had been so off about it. Why didn't he see it earlier?

"…_it's not your fault."_

And that kiss…

"_Goodbye, Sasuke."_

**.**

**.**

Sakura heard a knock on her door before it opened. She tore her gaze away from the window and found black eyes looking at her, but they were the wrong ones. Uchiha Itachi came and sat in the chair beside her bed, and thankfully she didn't have to strain to look at him. The nurse was nice enough that when Sakura said she was ready for visitors she raised the bed enough so that the pink haired woman could sit up a little. This probably would have been more difficult laying down.

Thankfully, she had healed enough to where she was allowed to lay on her back. Sakura had been on her stomach for the first week and a half and the thought of going back to that position made her want to vomit.

"Itachi," she greeted.

"Sakura," he greeted back. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now, thank you." She smiled at him. "Well, I already know why you're here, so I won't waste your time. How much do you know already?"

She was surprised when that particular question earned her a frustrated face. She hadn't seen Itachi a whole lot, even while she was living at his house his presence was rare, but she'd never seen such an expression before. He must have really asked everyone and come up with very little. Suddenly, she was really curious about what exactly he'd found out.

"We don't know anything."

Sakura blinked at him. "Nothing?"

He shook his head. "Your mother is dealing with her own health issues, and your friends don't know enough. Yamanaka knows, but whenever we ask she starts crying and won't tell us. Your X-rays gave us some clue, but…"

The pink haired woman winced. "Ah…I see…so I'll start from the—"

Suddenly, the door slid open, and Sakura jerked in surprise. She looked up to see Sasuke with one hand on the doorframe. He was panting a little, and the look he was giving her wasn't exactly hostile, but it _was_ stern enough that she flinched a little. He pinned her under his stare and Sakura found herself unable to move.

"Sasuke." Itachi snapped. "What—"

"You _knew_." The younger Uchiha accused, completely ignoring his brother.

Sakura turned a sad smile in his direction, averting her eyes and looking at the sheets. So he'd figured it out after all. "Yes." She admitted. "I knew."

He shut the door and came over to her bed, Itachi watching him warily from the other side. He put both hands on the bed and leaned over her. Sakura tried not to be intimidated, but she was failing. "You knew you were going to die and you did nothing." His voice sounded like it was just a few syllables away from cracking. "Why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"I couldn't. I didn't want to put you in danger."

"I could have _helped _you."

"He would have _killed_ you!" Sakura finally looked up at him.

"He?" Sasuke's eyes went from curious and worried to deadly. It soothed Sakura's nerves a little to know that those eyes weren't meant for her.

"Your father?" Itachi asked. Two pairs of eyes immediately swung towards him. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"So you found out that much, at least." She said.

"I just figured it out now. He's the only person who would have enough access to you to inflict as much damage as was in your X-rays. Your mother isn't that strong."

"Your father…?" Sasuke asked, and his voice lacked its earlier edge, instead he sounded curious and confused. "I met him."

Sakura nodded. "You did. That was the night he made me break up with you."

"…is that why you couldn't tell me?"

She nodded. "I'm about to give my statement to Itachi, why don't you stay? It will clear up everything." She patted the spot next to her on the bed. He still didn't sit. "Please?" She asked. He slowly sat down next to her, turning his body so that he could face her. His hand found hers on the bed, and he threaded their fingers together. Sakura squeezed his hand in response, giving him a small smile.

"So then…from the beginning…

"It wasn't always like…well, _this_. When I was little, we were pretty normal. I don't have a lot of memories from those times, but we were happy then. When I was five, my mom and I were in a taxi and it crashed. Pretty badly, since it killed the driver and knocked me and my mother unconscious. I woke up in the hospital in the same room as my mother, and we were both fine. No lasting damage. Actually, that accident is why my hair always stayed so short. The rescue people had to cut us out of the car, and somehow my hair had gotten tangled in some of the metal jutting out, so they just cut it. Ino cut her hair too so that I wouldn't feel so bad about it." Sakura cleared her throat. She and Ino had been so proud of their long hair…

"Anyway, my dad came to see us in the hospital." He'd walked right past Sakura, not sparing her a glance and going to cradle his wife. He didn't even acknowledge his daughter until someone said something about it. "I guess it was just too much for him, because we found out later he went to a bar that night. When we finally got to go home, he was mad all the time. He gradually started getting angrier and angrier…over the _smallest_ things. I didn't understand what was going on then, but I can remember them fighting all the time. I think a lot of the fights were over my father drinking more than usual.

"I don't remember what I did to make him hit me for the first time—" Sakura felt Sasuke's hand squeeze hers. It was probably reflex. "—but I was sent to my room while my parents fought about it. That was…when I was six, I think. I can't really remember. He didn't always hit me, but I walked on eggshells around him just in case. I do remember that he hit me enough that my mom had to cover my bruises every morning before I went to school. There was a period when all I could wear were long sleeves so no one could see my arms." She saw Sasuke's eyes widen a little out of the corner of her eye, and knew that he'd just realized the reason behind her particular choice of attire when she said her goodbyes. "Those were the bad times. From what I can remember, he started coming home drunk all the time. I didn't realize what was happening then, but he just seemed to snap for no reason. He left after that. I think he met some people at the bars he always went to and got involved with some pretty shady people. Of course, that's just speculation. I have no idea why he left.

"When I was nine, he came back and _begged _my mother to take him back. He said he'd changed and had gotten over his alcoholism. My mom eventually took him back, because despite everything she still loved him. The truth was, he had gotten over his addiction to alcohol, but it just meant he didn't need it anymore to hurt us. I thought before was bad, but that was the period when all those bones you saw in my X-ray got broken. I don't know the reason he was so ridiculously violent, but he nearly killed us on several occasions." She looked at Sasuke when he growled. "That time you were helping me with the burn on my side, and I told you I was self conscious?" He nodded, remembering sitting her down on the side of the bathtub. "I'm not really that self conscious, I just didn't want you to see this." She pulled up her shirt a little ways so that he could see the ugly white scar under her ribs. "That's from my mother's curling iron. I had just gotten a B on a test in math." She paused in her story while he traced the outline of it with his fingers, his face tense with repressed anger. Sakura shivered under his touch. She dropped her shirt when he was done.

"We never called the cops because he was blackmailing us. My mother is originally from Suna, and she wasn't a citizen at that time. I think she was only allowed to stay because of my father's Konoha citizenship, so he threatened to divorce her and have her deported. Since I was born here, I would end up staying with him. In the end, my mom just had to cooperate to keep me safe. She eventually became a citizen, though, just without my father's knowledge.

"He left the second time when I was thirteen by taking us to Suna and dumping us in the worst part of town. His blackmail didn't work anymore, so he just left us. We had to just keep moving through until my mom found a payphone to call her sister to come get us. The cops didn't get involved that time, either. I didn't care about that though, I just wanted to get back to the better part of the city. We were propositioned more than once, and some men cornered us, but we got away.

"I thought that was the last I saw of him until I had a dream about him a few weeks ago. My father used to be a ninja, and he was a genjutsu expert, so he basically taunted me that he was coming. He did the same thing when I was nine, too. He's older though, and probably out of practice especially with taijutsu, which is probably why he resorted to guns. The break ins, the fire, my mother's injuries…those were all his doing. I even found gunpowder in the bushes behind the house." She saw Sasuke freeze, remembering when she had been pretending to turn on the sprinklers. She swallowed hard. "When my mother lost her memory, that just gave him the perfect chance, especially since he was behind her memory loss. I found out he'd come back for good when I moved out of your house. My mother didn't remember anything, so this time he was blackmailing me. He planted bombs under the house, and threatened to kill my mother with them if I said anything.

"The night you met him was the night that he made me break up with you, Sasuke. I think it was when we went to the movies that he researched you and learned you had pretty close ties with the police. After that, he forbade me from seeing you.

"Ino…found out about him. I wasn't supposed to let anyone know that he was back, but Ino came to my house one night to see why I was acting so strangely at school. That was the night…" Sakura felt her voice starting to shake. "That was the night he shot her. He blamed it on a dive-by shooting since she agreed to keep her mouth shut. He made a deal with her that if she stuck to that story, he wouldn't kill her, or me, or my mother.

"I don't know how, but somehow he found out about you walking me home, when you told me you would grant me the space I wanted. He'd sent my mother away somewhere—I don't know where—so there was no one around to stop him when he…" The first tear fell just remembering how it felt to be so helpless as he hit her over and over. "That was the night I got all the bruises on my back…he…I couldn't move, couldn't heal myself…" Her voice got quiet. "Tenten and Hinata found me three days later in the same position he left me in. Tenten gave me a little of my chakra to heal the worst of it but…" She watched her hands fist the sheets. Sakura tried to wipe the tears away but her attempts were in vain. As soon as she wiped one away two more would replace it.

"He found out that I'd healed myself, and let me go to school the next day, but he made it pretty clear that it was going to be my last day there and I wasn't going to live much longer after that. He made me come home early and heal the bruises on my arms and paint my nails. When he finally called me downstairs there were people there. He said that they could take me and do whatever they wanted as long as they killed me in the end." Sasuke's hand tightened around hers, and he growled. "I fought against them and won, but then my father got his gun out, and then my mother arrived…" Looking back, it was all a frenzy of activity. "One of the men had a gun, so I reached for it and that's when he shot me…He had the detonator for the bombs in his hand but I shot anyway. I blacked out…and you know the rest."

Her voice had gone eerily quiet at the end of it. As much as she wanted to look at Itachi or Sasuke and give them a small smile, assure them she was at least going to be all right, she couldn't bring herself to raise her head. The wounds were still too fresh, not to mention she'd had ample time in a hospital room alone to relive it all, and that made all the pain she tried to banish come back full force. The nightmares were the worst though. At least in real life she could snap herself out of it…in her dreams she was trapped in that house. Sometimes her mind took her to places she didn't know existed, surrounded by three men and feeling terrified.

"Thank you, Sakura." Itachi said, standing up. "We have more than enough to go on. Feel better, okay?" Sakura nodded, and the older Uchiha made his way towards the door. "Sasuke, we should let her get her rest."

Sakura's hand tightened around Sasuke's, and he doubted she knew she was digging her nails into his skin. Sakura didn't want him to leave. The quiet would make her lose it, reliving those nightmares awake and in sleep. And this time, the men might not stop when she begged them to.

"Don't go." She pleaded, still not looking up.

Sasuke looked at his brother and then tilted his head towards the door, motioning him to leave. Itachi understood the message and nodded, leaving as quietly as possible. Coal black eyes shifted to the mass of pink hair before him, that being the only feature he could see with her head hanging like it was. Not for the first time he felt a stab of emotion run painfully through his body. He shifted closer, and Sakura abandoned his hand in favor of wrapping her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder and his arms wrapped around her and drew her close.

"I'm sorry…" She sobbed, clenching her fists in the back of his shirt. "I'm sorry…"

"Shh," Sasuke whispered, leaning his head against hers. "It's okay now."

"I…didn't want to…get you…killed." She cried.

"I'm okay." Sasuke said, kissing her shoulder.

"But…"

"Hey," he said gently, loosening one of his arms so that he could tilt her face upwards. "Everything is okay, and I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from now on. Okay?" He kissed her forehead when she nodded, pushing her back into his shoulder. "It's all over now."

The first sob escaped her throat, and Sakura clutched him tighter. Sasuke put his temple against hers, and silently vowed to hold her for as long as she needed him.

**.**

**.**

Sakura woke up the next morning, feeling emotionally better. It was nice that she'd gotten to cry all she wanted, but her face felt taut from dried tears and she was sure she looked like crap. She turned her face towards the man next to her and gave a weak smile. Sasuke had stayed with her all night, holding her until she'd stopped crying and then falling asleep next to her. He was asleep now, looking peaceful behind the slight signs of stress on his face, one arm carefully wrapped around her middle. Sakura moved a lock of hair out of his face.

He hadn't left her at all yesterday, not even to go eat dinner. He hadn't talked much yesterday either, just whispered that it was going to be all right and everything was over now. Nothing could hurt her anymore. But there was still one thing that bothered her enough to pull her from sleep.

Quietly, Sakura slipped herself from his grasp and swung her feet over the side of the bed. Not for the first time, she was glad that after the major healing was done, she was allowed a shirt and pants rather than the stupid hospital gown. She doubted she would have been completely comfortable with the Uchiha holding her and sleeping next to her if one wrong move would give him an eyeful.

The pink haired woman steadied herself on the side of the bed and stood gingerly. This would be her first time walking in a while, so she was sure to take it slow. Warily, she looked at Sasuke and found him still asleep. Of course he had every right to be, it was abnormally early in the morning. Early enough that Sakura doubted the day shift had arrived at the hospital yet. She'd been sleeping off hours for the better part of two weeks, so Sakura was refreshed and for the first time thankful of having slept most of the day before.

They had removed her IV a few days ago, so there was nothing to stop her progress as she slowly exited her room, heading for the elevator. She had little doubt that Sasuke would be furious when he found out what she was doing, but it was something she needed to do before she could really put this behind her, and it was something she needed to do alone.

She rode the elevator to the basement, passing the different hallways until she came to a set of double doors, gulping at the lettering above them.

_Morgue. _

She stood there for a moment in hesitation, reaching for the handles more than once before fear cowed her hand back against her side. She finally pulled a door open, despite her body's protests. She chose to ignore the way she shivered as unpleasant emotions rolled through her. She had to do this.

Sakura peeked into the cold room, relief washing through her when she realized the staff hadn't arrived yet. She went over to the wall of drawers, looking at a list beside it and feeling her hands shake when she saw the familiar name next to drawer 23. With a calming breath, Sakura pulled open the door that was waist level and pulled the drawer out in one swift movement. A wall of icy air washed over her, and Sakura shuddered.

She pulled back the plastic covering to reveal his face and shoulders, nearly crying again at the sight. He was badly burned, and despite him being in a refrigerated drawer for nearly two weeks the smell of rotting flesh hit Sakura's nose. Despite that though, the pieces of unaffected skin made her heart pound, as though he could sit up at any minute and beat her again. The sight made her weak in the knees, and she had to support herself on the wall of metal beside her.

"Father," she said, her voice lacking the pleasant tone reserved for greetings. "It hasn't been long enough…" Sakura ran her hand through her hair. She'd had a monologue prepared on the trip down here, but at the sight of him it left her head completely. "I suppose this would have been what you wanted, to haunt me even in death. To make me wake up screaming because I think you're still lurking around every corner. Well, whatever you're doing in the afterlife to scare me…it's working. I haven't _stopped_ thinking about you. I've been reliving everything.

"But I also remember things before the accident. When we were happy…all three of us. And I wondered what happened to make you this way, to make you sell off your own daughter. It's not the first time I've wondered, but Mom doesn't like talking about it. Of course, I didn't come down here to question you. You've never let me do that anyway." She took a deep breath, staring at closed eyes that had once been so cruel.

"I'm tired. I'm tired of being afraid…of being paranoid. I'm not going to let you control me anymore. I told you once that I was going to be the best kunoichi, and I still am. That's one thing of mine that you've never been able to touch. All of my other dreams you killed before my eyes, but not this one. And even when I remember all the times you broke me, I have people now." Images of her friends and Sasuke flashed through her mind. "People who will help me pick up the pieces and make them so you can't taint them ever again. It won't be easy trying to forget you, but I think I'll manage.

"You know what nearly killed me at first though? I thought that I'd killed you. It would be just like you to turn me into a murderer as revenge…your last attempt to control me. But you know what they told me? I missed…The bullet wasn't even _close_, but apparently it scared you _just enough_ to press the button. Your death was practically a suicide. You didn't even kill the three men you sent to kill me. But…even though I've thought about doing it before, I'm glad I wasn't the one who killed you. I'm glad I don't ever have to live with that.

"And I've met someone now. And I love him." A small smile appeared on her face. "You'll never be able to touch that, either.

"So goodbye, daddy. I wish it could have been different. Even though everything didn't work out for the best, I'm not going to live in fear anymore. I'm free to love…free to be myself…free to pursue my own dreams…with Sasuke…with mother…with my friends. We're going to be happy, and you? You're not going to stop me anymore." With one last look, Sakura grabbed the plastic to cover him again. It had gotten easier towards the end, and right now confidence swelled through her. She could make it.

With no warning, the doors opened and a wailing, brunette woman that Sakura had never seen before walked in. The pink haired medic dropped the sheet in surprise, especially when she was completely ignored. Instead, the woman took one look at the man lying before Sakura and let out a fierce cry, tears streaming down her cheeks as she threw herself on top of the body and sobbed.

Sakura's blood ran cold. Who was this woman that she would throw herself on top of the corpse of an abusive parent? Not to mention a body that was charred almost to the point where it was unrecognizable. Sakura swallowed and grimaced when the woman hugged the body tightly, the stench of decay working its way around the room. She stood there for a few moments, unsure of what to do.

"Excuse me," Sakura began warily when the woman's sobs died down a little. "Who are you?" Because really, she had every right to know who this mysterious woman was. Especially when the same woman had just despaired over the death of her father and the man who had abused her for a lifetime. The woman looked up with more than a few sniffles, finally realizing there was someone else in the room. Her chocolate brown eyes were full of sadness and anger behind the tears.

"I'm his wife."

And Sakura couldn't help but notice that she was very, _very_ pregnant.

**.**

**.**

**Author's Notes: **And thus concludes another chapter with a nail-biting cliffhanger. Uh oh! What is going to happen now? As always, please review and tell me what you think!


	22. Square One

**Author's Notes: **Hello everyone! Welcome to the final chapter of Dear Annie. I know this is a bit sudden, but everything just happened to fall into place as I was writing, so I think it fits. I may write an epilogue, but I kind of like the ending, but we will see. Hope you all enjoy it, and thank you so much for everything.

**.**

**.**

Title: Dear Annie

Rating: T (or PG-13)

Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura is excellent about giving others advice about their love life, but she is absolutely clueless when it comes to her own!

Pairings: SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, ShikaIno

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 22: Square One

**.**

**.**

Dear Annie,

There is a girl that I like…that I _love_. She means the world to me in more ways than she knows. I'm not sure when a simple infatuation grew into what I'm feeling now, I just know that I don't ever want to let it, or her, go. I want to spend every waking moment of the rest of my life with this girl. I want her to know that even though we're not together, that we're meant to be. What's the best way to tell her that we're meant for each other and always have been, even when we were bitter enemies. I love her, Annie. I love her more than anything, and I want her to know that no matter how much time or distance passes between us, I'm in love with her. Despite everything, I still love her and I always have. How do I let her know that?

Prince Idiot-sama

**.**

**.**

Sakura stumbled back a few stops, her back hitting the wall in her shock. Was she even breathing? The pink haired woman couldn't tell at all. The woman in front of her looked at her confusedly, still gripping to the charred body of Sakura's father. It took Sakura a solid minute of trying to calm down before she could speak again.

"You can't be his wife," Sakura paused to breathe, still trying to stimulate her lungs into working. "He's still married."

"We're a common law marriage, we've lived together for ten years." The woman rubbed her belly and sobbed once. "This is his baby."

Sakura felt her knees go out and she slid to the ground fast enough to jar her remaining wounds. She was hyperventilating again, feeling faint as the world began to tunnel into blackness, only barely managing to hold onto her consciousness.

The woman gave a startled gasp and moved over to her. "Are you okay?" She reached out to touch a hand to the younger girl's shoulder, but Sakura angrily slapped it away. The woman recoiled, her tears still streaming down her face.

"Do you even know what that man was capable of?" Sakura asked, tears pricking the back of her eyes. "What he's done?"

The woman's mouth opened, and no words were exchanged between the two for a moment. "You're his daughter, aren't you? Sakura?"

Sakura felt the first tear run down her cheek, hating the fact that she was crying again over that man. She gave the woman a slightly confused look, since it surprised her a little that the woman knew Sakura even existed. If she knew, then she obviously knew about his past and his more violent tendencies. If she knew all that…then why on earth would she live with him for ten years?

The woman waddled back over to her husband's drawer, giving him one last look before pulling the plastic back over his face and pushing in the drawer with enough care that Sakura was slightly disgusted. She shut the door and then put her back to the wall of metal, sliding down it slowly and carefully with one hand on her protruding stomach.

"I guess you've got a lot of questions for me."

_Yeah, like how you could stand to live with such a bastard. _But it was odd, because the woman looked perfectly healthy. Happy, even, when she was obviously recalling memories. She didn't have the haunted, horrified look in her eye that Sakura's mother had always held. At the mere thought of her father being happy while her mother flinched at the sound of his name, Sakura's eyes narrowed as anger overtook the sadness. She lowered her voice to an almost threatening hiss.

"Do you even _know_ what he's done?" The woman's eyes drooped sadly to the ground, and she opened her mouth to say something. The pink haired girl cut her off. "Did you know that he's nearly killed me and my mother on several occasions? That he did things like this—" she lifted up her shirt to show the woman the burn mark she'd shown Sasuke. "—because he never thought I was good enough? He taunted me with my mother's life and almost sold me into slavery…and you still—"

"It wasn't like that!" The woman yelled, sobbing and covering her mouth with her hands. "He wasn't like that to me."

"But you still knew, didn't you? You _knew _all the things he did, because you knew my name."

"Look, can I just start from the beginning, and then you can decide afterwards if you hate me?"

Sakura glared. "It's not going to be a hard decision." But she crossed her arms and waited for the woman to start.

The woman looked nervous, a bead of sweat falling from her temple. "My name is Takeda Kaoru, first of all. And I know your name because your father spoke of you—_often_, I might add. I met him close to eleven years ago, probably when you were about six or seven. I was a waitress at a bar he used to go to a lot. We got to know each other when he wasn't too drunk to talk to me seriously, and I started to really like him. He gambled and drank to excess, and sometimes when he was too drunk to go home I let him sleep on my couch. Of course I didn't work during the day, so I didn't find out until much later that he used to go back to the bar and drink again before going home. He asked if he could move in with me for a little bit, and I said yes. He was always so sweet to me, so I didn't know what the harm could be. I can assure you I didn't know he was married at the time.

"Although we were "living together," he never stayed for too long, and he only really lived with me randomly. Sometimes there would be weeks when I wouldn't see him, then he would stay the night occasionally after coming to the bar. He stayed the weekend once and made me dinner after work." She smiled a little. "I think he met someone gambling, because it wasn't long after that the bar I worked at became a known meeting place for the mob. I mean, the bar flourished because of all the drinks they bought, but it gave us a horrible, horrible reputation.

"Eventually, he came to live with me permanently so he could be closer to…I guess you would call it _work_…and we started dating. It was the mob that actually convinced him to sober up, since they couldn't rely on him if he was drunk all the time. As far as I know, he moved the money, but I'm not exactly sure on that. I do know that they really valued him since he had all of these shinobi skills, and he could get a job done more discreetly than anyone else. He tried to keep me out of the business as much as he could. He even got mad because one guy in the mob started to hit on me. Nearly lost his life because of it. I remember I was cleaning his wounds that night and he told me about the horrible things he'd done…that he was so sorry for. I told him that I forgave him, because at that time he looked genuinely sorry for it all.

"It was great for a few years. We had the occasional fight, but like I said he never raised a hand against me. His work got me into a better apartment…a better job…I even got an online college degree thanks to him. I don't remember how he let it slip, but I found out that he was still married while he was living with me. As you can expect I was _livid_, broke up with him on the spot and forced him to move back with you guys. He got deeper into mob business, and called me all the time to tell me how much he missed me. I told him if he really missed me he would divorce his wife and then I'd accept him back. He finally came back after he told me his wife and daughter moved to Suna permanently.

"He did tell me about you, you know. I think he was secretly proud that you still wanted to be a ninja like him, despite the fact that you're a girl. He wanted a boy so, _so_ badly, because he didn't think that girls could be ninjas. But he did keep up with you, you know. He used to show me school photos of you. I pushed him to get a divorce, but he always said it was your mother who didn't want to sign the papers. He was fine with our arrangement, to be honest.

"The mob paid off his gambling debts when he started to work for him, but then his ninja skills started to atrophy and he couldn't pay them back. And I say "mob" like it was some big organization, but it was a small group who were _really _good at what they do. They started hounding him for money.

"We had planned on waiting for the divorce so we could get married, or at least let the common law marriage take over, but I found out that I was pregnant before that could happen. He was so excited when we found out it was going to be a boy." She patted her stomach. "I wanted to name him Shiro after my grandfather. We were choosing middle names when he decided that we should move away from all his debts and start over. I still wanted to marry him, so I looked you guys up online, to see if I could go to Suna myself and convince your mother to sign the divorce papers." She smiled ruefully. "Imagine my surprise when I found out you were still in Konoha.

"He saw that I'd done a search and left to convince your mother for the last time, and I think by that point he was really desperate. He called me two weeks ago to say that he was doing something that would at least get the mob off his back. It sounded so shady…but I was too in love to care."

Sakura gulped. "He was…selling me into slavery. There were men who came to the house…"

A tear slipped down Kaoru's cheek. "That was the night he died. I read the police report, he…" she choked on her words for a second and sobbed. "How could I ever love such a horrible man! But I _do_! I still _do_!" She sobbed into her hands.

Sakura leaned her head back against the wall. This woman's story…it made so much sense. Her basic timeframe matched when her father had appeared into and vanished from her life. She knew vaguely about Suna…it all fit, and that made it hurt so much worse. All this time that Sakura's mother had spent misguidedly loving her husband, and he was in love with another woman. Sakura started to cry. _Why_? She had tried so hard to please him when she was younger…following in his footsteps and training to become a kunoichi, getting good grades, doing whatever he asked. But it hadn't mattered. All he'd wanted was a son to look up to him and do those things and instead he'd gotten the pink-haired epitome of a girl. Not even her becoming a kunoichi would satisfy him. They sat in silence for a few long minutes.

She was really tired of everything being so complicated.

"I still don't like you."

"I know." Kaoru sniffled, still not done crying. "I think asking you to like me is a bit much."

The doors to the morgue opened, and Itachi entered, looking quite relieved to have found her. He picked up a radio off his belt and pushed the talk button. "This is Uchiha Itachi. I found Haruno Sakura in the morgue, over."

There was an affirmative response over the radio as Itachi walked over to her, sparing a curious glance to the pregnant woman sitting on the ground. "Are you alright, ma'am?" Kaoru kept sobbing in her hands, having briefly looked up to see who the intruder was, and nodded her head in a way that actually indicated she wasn't fine. Itachi reached for his radio again. "Bring a stretcher to the morgue, there's a pregnant woman here who may need medical assistance."

Kaoru glared at him as he kneeled beside Sakura. "I said I'm _fine_."

Itachi ignored her, turning to Sakura's crying face instead. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

The apple-eyed girl didn't answer him for a moment, wiping her tears away even as they kept coming. Eventually, she nodded a little bit, and Itachi slowly helped her to her feet. Sakura's knees still felt weak from everything she'd heard, so she was glad Itachi didn't immediately let go of her. It was only when she was sure she was able to stand on her own that she gradually pushed him away.

Itachi left her for a moment and picked up Kaoru bridal style, fully intending to carry her to the stretcher.

"I'm _fine_, damn it! Let me go!"

"Ma'am…"

"Itachi…" Sakura said tiredly. Coal eyes were directed at her almost instantly. "She's really okay. You can put her down."

The poor man looked beyond confused, obviously having absolutely no idea who Kaoru was or how Sakura knew her. Sasuke's older brother put the brunette down slowly, again waiting until she had her balance before letting go.

"I thought you didn't like me." Kaoru said through her remaining tears. They had mostly been chased away in shock when Itachi picked her up.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at the woman. "It's rare that you get your way with an Uchiha. Just thank me and move on."

Kaoru didn't look very surprised at Sakura's tone, but she didn't have time to say anything as Sasuke and a few other medics and police officers came into the morgue. They had been walking at a brisk pace, but then slowed down at the strange scene in front of them. Sasuke shot his brother an inquisitive look as he made his way over to Sakura's side, but the older Uchiha could merely shrug.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura paused. She wasn't really okay, not with everything that happened. Too much had happened in such a short time for her to be really okay with it. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, that everything was just peachy, but she felt guilty for lying to him so many times. He had been there through some of her darkest moments. So, slowly, she shook her head no.

The dark haired boy understood. "Let's get you back to your room, okay?"

Sakura nodded, and was led from the morgue by his gentle touch. She heard Kaoru, Itachi, and the others follow them out, mostly because Kaoru was still protesting that she was fine and didn't need the medics to be there. They rode the elevator up, with much of the same bickering, until Kaoru finally told them that she was only visiting her husband in the morgue.

_That_ made everyone freeze, especially the two Uchihas and the police officers riding with them. They weren't stupid, and Sakura could practically see them connecting things on their own.

Sasuke looked down at her, his eyes a little wide. "Sakura?" He asked, but there was never a time to respond, as the doors opened on Sakura's floor and everyone filed out. Also at that time, Sakura's mother rounded the corner with her IV pole in one hand and holding the steady arm of a male nurse in the other. At the familiar sight, Sakura immediately burst into tears again, turning her face into Sasuke's shoulder and just sobbing. How could she do this? How could she tell her mother that the man she'd loved for so long…loved someone else for most of Sakura's life?

Sakura wasn't the only one who reacted. Kaoru started crying again as well, running up to the pink haired woman and practically hanging onto her. It hurt Sakura even more to see that her mother didn't recognize the adulteress in front of her.

"I'm so sorry!" Kaoru half sobbed and half screamed. "I never meant for this to happen! It's all my fault! Please forgive me!" Nurses and police were trying to peel Kaoru off of the other woman, considering Mrs. Haruno was still a little unstable on her feet after her injuries. "_Please!_" Kaoru begged. "I'm so sorry!"

Mrs. Haruno had her mouth open for a moment, not quite sure what was going on. "…I forgive you…?"

Kaoru smiled, still crying. "Thank yo—"

Sakura saw it all too clearly. The glass window next to Kaoru and her mother suddenly shattered, glass flying everywhere, and Kaoru's body gave a sudden jolt. Screams immediately begun and Sakura's breath was knocked from her as she was tackled to the ground. More windows broke and the gunfire rang in Sakura's ears as Sasuke dragged them both over to an area where it would be impossible for the shooters to get them. His arms locked around her.

Sakura gasped and squirmed. "My mother!"

Sasuke's hold tightened. "Itachi's with her!"

The pink haired girl nodded, her breaths coming out in uneven pants and her entire body shaking.

The shots died down, and it was a long while before anyone dared move. Sakura ventured a look to see if everyone else was okay, and the first thing she laid her eyes on was Kaoru's limp body surrounded by a growing pool of blood.

"Kaoru!" Came the strangled yell from Sakura's throat. She pushed Sasuke off of her and crawled below the windows to the woman's body, not knowing why she cared so much about the woman who had essentially ruined her life. Maybe because it was her own father's madness that led to all this. Kaoru was just another victim led astray by her father's lies. And the worst part of it may have been that she meant well. Sakura wanted to hate her, to despise her for everything that she'd done, but she couldn't. None of it was really Kaoru's fault.

She picked the woman's hand up by the wrist and found a weak pulse, getting weaker due to the amount of blood leaking from the hole in the woman's chest. Medically, Sakura knew it was too close to the heart for the woman to have a high chance of survival. "Come on Kaoru…"

The woman's eyes opened a little. "I'm sorry, Sakura…"

Said girl nodded. "I know…" She started crying again. "And I forgive you too."

Kaoru sobbed. "Can you see that my baby is okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Takeda Shiro, right?"

More tears fell. "Thank you…" And then her arm went limp in Sakura's grasp.

The medic in Sakura didn't let a moment go to waste. She turned to the nearest medic, who still hadn't moved from his hiding spot. "Save the baby!" She yelled at him. "Hurry!"

He moved cautiously, and other medics joined in when there seemed to be no danger. They moved the body to a stretcher, and hurried it off to surgery.

Sakura sat back on her calves, and was about to fall further backwards when arms closed around her and guided her back to a safe place against the wall. Sasuke sat next to her, and she clenched his hand with one hand while wiping tears with the other. Everything in her just _hurt_. She turned her head to see her mother a little ways down the hall, with Itachi sitting next to her. Sakura's eyes met her mother's and her face instantly crumpled.

"Mommy!" Sakura cried for the first time since she was nine.

At that, Mrs. Haruno started to cry, probably not knowing why except for the fact that her daughter was in tears. This time, when Sakura made motions to leave Sasuke, he let her, allowing Sakura to crawl into her mother's side. Arms immediately closed around her and Sakura's mother rocked her.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!" Sakura clutched her mother's hospital gown. "I'm sorry!"

There was silence around her. No one knew what was going on.

**.**

**.**

Sakura sat in her hospital bed two days later, waiting for Sasuke to bring her some decent lunch. She'd already grown tired of hospital food in the short time that she'd been awake. She worked in the hospital and couldn't even recognize what she'd had for dinner last night.

It was minutes after she'd been led to her room after the shooting that she was asked to give a statement. There had been several people that had protested on her account, but the police had been demanding, as there had been a shooting in a very public place and they needed to know _why_. Sakura told them everything that Kaoru had told her, her heart clenching when her mother had rushed out of the room at the end of it. Sasuke had held her hand the entire time, his face serious. They'd left her alone after that, so she could shower and wash Kaoru's blood off of her.

Sakura hadn't seen her mother since.

Yesterday, she had gone to see baby Shiro. He was in ICU, since he had been born a month premature, but that was actually fortunate, given the circumstances. He didn't have a whole lot of growing left to do at that point, but he was still worryingly small. Everyone assured her that he was fine, and would make a full recovery. She'd gotten to hold him with the blue gloves, her breath hitching at the feel of her tiny baby brother in her arms. Beside her, Sasuke, who had insisted on being with her at all times since the shooting, had stayed silent and allowed her to have her moment.

Sakura met Shiro's grandparents, who would be the ones raising Shiro since both of his parents were dead. The grandmother cried over the plastic dome that surrounded her only grandson, and it was at that time Sasuke and Sakura felt it best to leave.

Things had been mostly quiet. They were harder at night, as Sakura kept having to relive everything in dreams, but Sasuke was always right there when she needed him. She had woken him that morning with a kiss and an, "I love you so much."

Green eyes looked up as the door to her room slid open, and instead of Sasuke it was two men in rather impeccable black suits. From her vantage point on the bed, Sakura saw two more guarding the door before it was shut. Anticipation laced through her veins.

"Miss Haruno?" One man asked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet, opening it to reveal a gold badge. "I am Special Agent Nakamura from the Konoha Marshal's office. We'd like to have a word with you, if that's all right." Sakura nodded, and the Agent gestured to the chair. "May I?" Another nod.

"We believe that your life is in danger, Miss Haruno." He began. "The people your father were involved with were pretty nasty, and they're still out there. I think the shooting the other day is proof of that."

"Did you catch the guy?"

He shook his head, brown hair shaking with it. "No, but we matched ballistics to a gun that's linked in several other homicides, and we believe those are only the beginning of what exactly this group is capable of. Cutting to the point, Miss Haruno, as long as these men are out there, you and everyone you love are in danger. The group is trying to get something to repay your father's debts. Your father took out life insurance policies on you and your mother before he got involved in the things he did. With you two dead, the death certificates will trigger a foreign insurance company to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars into an offshore account, and that would more than cover his debts. Do you understand so far?"

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded.

"We would like you to enter Witness Protection. The government would be able to provide you a new identity, possibly within in a new country, and you would be untrackable. We would make it our personal responsibility to keep you safe. That means that you would have to cut ties with everyone here, but with any luck we will catch all the men responsible in a few years."

Sakura took it all in for a moment, her mind racing. "My mother?"

"She has agreed to go into protection, but as you are going to be a legal adult in a few months she wanted to give you the opportunity to decide. She did, however, want us to tell you that she strongly urges you to enter as well. Your little brother's grandparents have also decided to enter, as a precautionary measure."

Sakura gulped, not liking that she was having to make this decision on the fly. "Can I…think about it?"

He nodded and handed her a business card. "Of course. But I must warn you that you'll be in more danger the longer you wait." He stood up and made for the door. "Call that number when you decide." He nodded as a form of goodbye, and left. As soon as the men were gone, Sasuke entered her room with one eyebrow raised. The woman waited until the door was shut and they were alone. He handed her a bag of takeout.

"They want me to go into Witness Protection."

The Uchiha sat down on the side of her bed. "Should you be telling me that?"

Sakura gave him a half smile. "Probably not." She didn't tell him that she had considered doing the same thing before she had been shot, going and living anonymously in another country. Sasuke had been the final deciding factor then, because she knew that she wouldn't be able to live without him. He meant too much to her a few weeks ago and he meant more to her now. She wouldn't be able to bear it if he moved on…found someone new when she showed no signs of returning anytime soon. She didn't want to separate herself from everyone, because that would be too much to bear.

But then again staying would mean putting them all in danger. It was a hard choice when you had to weigh her own happiness for their lives. But the mere thought of leaving practically sent her straight into a depressive state. All the things she would miss, the way her friends would laugh and have fun without her there. They'd start dating and moving on with their lives, and Sakura wouldn't be there for any of it. She knew she was being selfish, but it just _hurt_ having to be punished for her father's mistakes. Couldn't anything go right for a change?

Sakura made a split second decision. "I think…I'm going to say no." Even though she was losing her mother…her little brother…Sakura couldn't dream to be parted from everything. This was her _home_, and she had never allowed her father to take it away from her and she sure wasn't going to start now.

Sasuke was silent for a long while, and it worried her when he didn't look at her. He was obviously lost in thought staring at the floor. Her nerves were going haywire at what he might say. He finally spoke, a little low and a little hesitantly. "I think…you should consider it."

Sakura's breath picked up and her eyes widened. "You can't mean that…"

"Sakura…"

"But…that would mean that I'd never see you again. I would lose you and everyone around me…"

"Sak—"

"I can't bear that, Sasuke! I still love you and I don't want to be—"

"_Sakura_." His voice got a little firmer, but it was only to catch her attention. "I don't want…I…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "The men after you have already killed one person. I want you to stay safe. You wouldn't lose any of us except if they got to you first. I don't want to see you die."

"Sasuke…please…"

"I don't want you to have to look over your shoulder every day. You'll be _miserable_, Sakura, and we both know it."

Sakura sighed, leaning her head backwards in an attempt to keep her tears from falling. She was really starting to get tired of crying. _It's the only way to keep them safe_, the logical voice in her head reasoned.

Sasuke stood and sat down right next to her, bringing her into his arms. "I love you." He said, and Sakura could only nod vigorously, her head going to his shoulder. If she spoke right now…

Minutes later, the woman worked up her courage and reached for the phone in her hospital's room, dialing shakily. She held it to her ear and clutched onto Sasuke for dear life.

"Special Agent Nakamura speaking." A voice answered after a few rings.

"Agent Nakamura, this is Haruno Sakura…I've…" She closed her eyes, and felt Sasuke kiss the top of her head. Her voice broke. "…decided."

**.**

**.**

A dark SUV arrived at the hospital doors the next day, and it already held Sakura's mother. Sakura found that she was unable to let go of Sasuke, who had, to the Marshal's chagrin, come to say goodbye. He had been the only one allowed, and Sakura hadn't even told anyone else she was leaving. She wasn't even going to get to say goodbye…

Her little brother's grandparents were leaving with Shiro as soon as the baby was stable enough to leave the hospital. Sakura wasn't allowed to know where they were going.

It just didn't seem right that it was so sunny out today.

Sasuke kissed her, and then leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you." She told him, and he smiled. "Don't forget me…"

"Never."

The men in dark suits and sunglasses fidgeted around them, not liking that they were taking so long. Sakura didn't care though. _They_ weren't the ones who were being asked to just leave everyone they'd ever cared about. Sakura froze a little as the fear hit her full force. She was really leaving…this could be the last time she ever saw Uchiha Sasuke…

Not caring who was watching, Sakura suddenly pressed her lips to the Uchiha's, and she clutched onto his button down shirt for dear life. A shiver ran down her when his hands landed on her back, bringing her closer to him. She parted for air and buried her face in his shoulder. "I love you." She said, sounding absolutely brokenhearted. "I love you, I love you, I love—"

Sakura heard a sudden, loud buzzing, and then a chunk of sidewalk exploded behind her. Seconds later, the resounding gunshot echoed off the hospital walls.

The pink haired girl was wrenched away from Sasuke by some Agent who was currently yelling into his earpiece. The remaining agents were doing the same, guns drawn, trying to find the gunman. Sakura saw the world whiz by in a blur as she was roughly being pushed towards the van.

Sakura whirled around last minute to find that Sasuke was being pushed into the hospital by an Agent and his brother, and he'd also turned around to see her for the last time. He mouthed something to her before an Agent blocked Sakura's view, stuffing her hurriedly into the SUV and shutting the door, the vehicle driving off fast enough to make the tires squeal. Green eyes turned to see if she could catch one last glimpse of him, but all she saw was spiked hair disappearing into the hospital.

She sank back into the seat and let her mother hold her as she cried, remembering what she'd seen him mouth in those last few moments.

_I love you more than you'll ever know_.

**.**

**.**

**Three Years Later**

Sakura set her biology textbook down on her kitchen table, rolling her neck and hearing a few of the bones pop as she did so. Her professor had been more monotonous than usual today, which made half the class fall asleep and the other half persistent clock-watchers waiting to rush out of the auditorium. She had come straight here from her class, having a paper to complete before tomorrow.

The window above the table was flecked with a steady and light drizzle. Not that she was surprised, of course. Ever since Sakura had been forced to move to Rain she had only seen a clear view out of the same window a few times when the sun had been out. Otherwise the city scenery was lost in fog and rain. Sakura longed to feel the unrelenting sun again, to see the lush green grass in something other than a murky gray-green, but the Marshals wouldn't allow it. It was safer here, they said, where she was Akimoto Naomi, a woman who had grown up a relatively boring life and had come to the local university to study medicine. Sakura knew the reasoning behind it all, since there were people left out there who would still love to hold her father's debts over her, but it didn't help.

The Marshals provided the apartment for her, helping with some of the rent so that she felt no financial pressure to move. It was in a gated community, and it was one of the apartments that was three stories above ground. It was a small, studio apartment that her mother (now Akimoto Satomi) helped her to decorate, crying when her baby finally moved away from home to start college.

The green eyed woman jumped when her phone rang, red locks of hair flying in front of her face at the sudden movement. It wasn't her real hair, and she and the Marshals had gotten into a nasty fight when they told her she needed to change her hair color. They had finally conceded on a very expensive wig and her promise that she wouldn't take it off except to shower and sleep, and that it would be the first thing she put on in the morning. They still suggested dying her hair every time she saw them, though.

Sakura answered the phone with a "Hey!" when she saw the caller ID.

"Hey Naomi!" It was a girl named Yura, who had become one of Naomi's friends since they had started talking in a class last year. "I forgot to ask, are you coming to the biology study session tonight?"

Sakura winced at the thought of her biology final tomorrow. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Thank you! You know we'd never survive this class without you!"

"You can thank me with free food." There was a knock at her door. "I have to go now. It's at six, right?"

"Yeah. See you there!" And the line went dead after that.

Sakura pushed her fake glasses up before finding the Marshal's number on her phone, her thumb hovering over the _call_ button as she had been trained to do whenever someone came to visit her. There hadn't been any scares, but with the men after her it was probably best that she consider herself lucky.

She looked through the peephole and found a familiar man in a black suit outside, waving at her. Sakura rolled her eyes and shut her phone, opening the door.

"Special Agent Nakamura, to what do I owe this visit?" He didn't look very serious, so Sakura figured that her location was safe. He held up a white envelope that made the woman freeze, though.

"Pictures of your little brother, his grandmother says hello. Can I come in?"

The now redhead opened the door wider, and she didn't miss the way he looked around the hall for anyone before he entered. As usual, he made himself at home at her kitchen table, pushing her the envelope of pictures. This was her only link to her little brother and his grandparents, as they had been placed into witness protection as well and Sakura had no idea where they had been shipped off to. She opened the envelope and saw pictures from his second birthday party, which had only been a few months ago.

Sakura looked at the agent, becoming especially wary when she saw that he was still grinning. "What?"

"I have other news."

Sakura's heart immediately sped up in hopeful anticipation.

"We caught the last guy in your father's criminal ring. It's done, Sakura."

Sakura teared up instantly. That was the first time she'd heard her real name in three years. "How?"

"We caught one member who took a deal, and he gave us the names and locations of the other three men. He now has a life sentence with a chance of parole in fifty years instead of four life sentences. We caught the other three and sped up their trials. They're all in prison with no chance of parole."

Sakura sobbed and covered her mouth. She cried tears of joy, unable to stop for the longest while, even while Agent Nakamura rubbed her back in understanding. She would finally get to go home. To Konoha!

It was a good hour before she stopped crying, and Agent Nakamura finally made motions to leave. He put his coat back on as he said, "We'll have a car ready to pick you up next week to take you your flight. Your things will be shipped to a new house in Konoha, and we can start transferring you to the university in Konoha, if you'd like." Sakura nodded. "Good! We'll make sure you get in. You'll have to quit your job on your own, though."

Sakura nodded and saw him out. As soon as the door was shut she squealed in excitement and practically danced around her apartment. She called her mother, who had also heard, and they rejoiced at the thought of a new home. Even though Sakura would likely move to an apartment closer to campus, she didn't care at the moment. Summer was coming and she had all that time to just relax in the sunshine.

She arrived at Yura's apartment wanting to do anything but study. Everyone there looked at her a bit funny, and then looked a little sad when she told them she was moving back to her home country. It ended up being a little going away party with not much studying getting done.

That night, Sakura ripped off her wig and tousled her pink hair with gusto, relishing in the fact that she would never have to wear that wig again after next week. The red wig had reminded her too much of Karin, but it was the only choice for justifying the pink hair on the rest of her body.

She so desperately wanted to call Ino…or Hinata…or Tenten…or all three, but their numbers had been on a phone the Marshals had destroyed so she couldn't be tracked. She wanted to find out everything she missed. Where her friends were going to college, what they were studying, who they were dating, if Sasuke—

Sakura sat down heavily on her bed, her elated mood ebbing away. She still thought about him, very often in fact, but her thoughts had never really been serious until now. She'd always fantasized that they would get back together and then continue on like Sakura hadn't ever been away. Now that those thoughts were a reality, it made her extremely nervous. What if…he hadn't waited? What if he'd found someone else? It was…unreasonable…to ask him to wait indefinitely for her. She didn't think she would be able to go back to her happy Konoha life if she had to constantly see him around…with someone else. Laughing with someone else…kissing someone else. Could she really be okay?

She wiped away a tear at the mere thought. She still loved him so, _so_ much. She still loved him enough that thinking about him made her smile, or that she imagined him wrapping his arms around her when she was having a bad day. It had taken every ounce of her willpower not to look up his number and call him, if only just to hear his voice and then hang up again. She needed him like air. It hurt a little that she couldn't even have a picture of him. But now she would actually get to see him in the flesh…for whatever his life had become since her absence.

That night, Sakura couldn't help but go to bed afraid.

**.**

**.**

Sakura walked into the local newspaper office where she worked, knocking on her boss's door. The man motioned her in, and Sakura explained the situation to him, that she was moving and had to quit.

He frowned. "This is really sudden, Naomi. Who am I going to get to do the advice column?"

Sakura shrugged, hating the weight of the wig on her head. "Sorry, sir. I know it's bad timing, but I'm really excited about it."

He looked amused. "So eager to get away from us, hmm?" He waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Look, there's a real tearjerker on your desk. Write a good one, okay? Someone _hand delivered_ that letter here, so it's got to be really important. Come back when you've submitted it and I'll have your last paycheck ready."

Sakura's desk was little more than a table with an aged laptop on it and a basket for all of the letters she was supposed to answer. She typed the responses and sent them to her editor, so there really wasn't much organizing to do here. Normally, there were tons of letters in the basket, and Sakura just had to pick about five or six that were really compelling. Today there was just one.

Sakura sat down, hearing the creaks and groans of the chair that she had become accustomed to over the past two years. Her fingers closed around the envelope and she looked at the front of it, clearly addressed to her and she frowned. _This is Agent Nakamura's writing_…

More than curious, Sakura opened the envelope with more care than usual, anticipation coursing through her. What in the world could be so compelling that Agent Nakamura would deliver something himself…to her place of work no less. Something this important he normally took straight to her apartment. Whatever this letter was, it was written on really nice paper. But it was probably from someone very well off, as she got those letters occasionally. Still, the fact that Sakura could link it to Agent Nakamura had her heart pounding.

She looked at the letter…and smiled.

**.**

**.**

Dear Prince,

I don't think you have anything to worry about. She loves you more than you'll ever know.

Love,

Annie

**.**

**.**

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**The End**

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**Author's Notes: **And that concludes Dear Annie. Thank you to everyone who has been with me throughout this whole process, to those of you who have given me your feedback, to those of you who have sent me long PMs demanding an update. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It means more than you will ever know.


End file.
